


old fashioned

by una_99



Series: the ultimate michaeng's smut pack [3]
Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Old Friends, Roommates, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-06-28 09:33:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19809547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/una_99/pseuds/una_99
Summary: a break up, a hotel bar and a reencounter.(or when Mina met Chaeyoung after years)





	1. two old fashioned, please

**Author's Note:**

> hi, guys  
> this is a 5-piece story that follows the events of 'college experience', don't get lost!

It took Mina a lot of courage – or maybe it was stubbornness? – to stay at the bar as if nothing has happened.

With her cheeks burning, she feels like using all of her strength to help the tears from fall from her eyes, although the little pout and trembling lower lip give away her need to cry. Mina always cry when she feels stressed or under pressure; but right now, she is feeling ashamed.

She got dumped one hour ago. In a public place. In their favorite public place.

The hotel bar was crowded with business persons dressed in tuxedos or on their marvelous dresses. All of them could be testimonies of the intense argument she held with him – Mina refuses to say his name from now on – but the costumers of such high-class place would just pretend they did not see a thing, not even the drink she spilled on his face. Rethinking about her little outburst, it does not look like a Mina pattern of behavior. That means she was that mad.

They were together for about six months, but never as boyfriend and girlfriend, since he neither asked her formally nor meet her parents nor showed any intentions to do it. No, they were together as two people that work at the same place and hang out on daily basis. Of course, he would take her to expensive places, they work in the most prestigious law firm of Seul, and it was expected from the two top-notch lawyers to go to places like that. He would treat her right, buying her flowers and saying naughty but beautiful things at her ear every time they met each other at work.

However, Mina always felt like somebody’s mistress, like he was hiding her for someone reason. Well, there was some reason. A fiancee on Australia – which he is going to marry within a month, as he informed.

Earlier that night, while telling her about his secret life – although Mina considers herself the only and filthy secret – Mina was keeping her posture, being the educated lady she has always been, until he asked her to keep their “relationship”.

He was in love with Mina. He wanted a life beside her. His words, not hers.

That is when she spoke for the first time since he started to babble out his bullshit. Her voice reached the highest pitch of her entire life at that moment. If they were on the street or her apartment, she would maybe scratch all of his perfect doll face. Oh well, maybe she would just kill him. That is how she felt that moment.

She felt used and neglected, and maybe a little dumb for thinking he could be the right person for her, her partner in life. As if the right person for her would play with her for six months. For somebody so confident on her brains and reputation, Mina could not believe she let her eyes and ears believe on that man. Yes, eyes and ears, because although Mina may had thought she held feelings for him, it was more about sex and filling some empty spot on her life than actually love someone.

That is why she went to the restroom to refresh herself after their little scandal. He left with curved shoulders, as if he was the humiliated one. Mina looked at herself on the mirror, pinched her pale cheeks until brings color to them and left the restroom with her chin up.

She would stay, would enjoy a nice drink in a nice place, because she wanted to be anywhere but her house right now. Then she remembers the little rectangular flat card resting on her Luis Vuitton; a keycard for the president suite she got soon as she arrived at the hotel. Silly Mina, she really thought something nice would happen tonight.

When she got back to the main saloon, the rush hour was over already.

The bar is full of people even though is Wednesday night. The hotel is a well-recommended one and its bar holds that prestige aura that today’s world does not have anymore.

Mina nurses her dry martini with the contemplation of a great poet looking for inspiration. She is stiff at her stool, holding her usual straight posture that always gives her clients the confident look she needs to win any case on court, except for now she does not feel confident at all, in fact she does not even know if she is capable of going back to work on Monday.

She only has friends at work. It was on her work that she met him as well. She feels like all her life turns around her workplace, since she spends twelve hours of her day around it. Of course, her so called friends and not so called ex-boyfriend would be from there. Maybe she should resign now. How she could ever go to work again knowing that he is going to be there? Worst, how she will manage not to kill him?

Mina grips the steam of her martini glass feeling she could bend it.

_Here it comes, another wave of rage._

She gulps down the furious and fat tears.

_Whom he thinks he is? And whom he thinks I am? I am not going to be somebody’s mistress! When did you become so stupid, Mina?_

Oblivious to her violent rampant, the barman approaches the lonely woman with a short glass full of an amber liquid and a slice of orange. “Excuse me, miss. This is for you.”

Mina lost stare breaks and comes to the glass placed in front of her. She starts to think she missed something while planning to kick that asshole on the balls not like a lady she was. “Huh? Sorry, I didn’t ask for this.”

“It’s a treat” the barman points vaguely towards a table at the corner before walking away.

Mina frowns and leans to smell the liquid. It looks and smells like an old fashioned and, if she must be honest, it is not her style. She only drinks whisky on late-night meetings with clients and partners, just for the sake of her adult image. She does not spare a look at the table responsible for it neither; instead, she focuses on her barely touched martini as her mind wander to another direction.

She stands still, contemplating the wall covered by expensive liquors of the bar. When the glass of old fashioned starts to form a pool of melted ice on the counter, the barman approaches once again. “Sorry to bother, miss. But…” he slides another fresh drink over the counter.

Mina shots her eyebrows up. Well, someone cannot accept a no there. “Please, return it.”

“I’m sorry, but the lady insisted.”

“ _Lady?_ ” Mina now is frowning with the new piece of information. Women generally didn’t pay much attention on her business-like attire and stiff posture, nor her perfect ponytail. Mina does not even remember the last time she hook up with a girl. It could be centuries. She chuckles with the weird bubbling feeling.

“Yes, she said to keep bring you drinks until you accept one” on contrary of her, the barman is very serious.

The lawyer sighs, unsure what she should do. Her night is certainly not going to be one to remember, so maybe she should do something nice for the sake of being less miserable. “Do me a favor, will you?”

She orders the same drink to her newest admirer.

-

Almost one hour after and Mina is surrounded by not only two but six glasses of old fashioned. She has not drunk one single sip of them, and by now the ice is starting to melt. It may look like a joke and she may have a smirk on her face, but the barman does not seem happy about it. But, as long as they are paying for it, he would not complain.

The last glass of old fashioned came with a little note, wrote on the back of a business card. The name on it is unreadable due to a serious of scribbles over it. Well, someone wants to keep identities as a secret, Mina thinks a little thrilled and shifts on her seat.

Although the card does not have a name, it does have the business corporation who it belongs to.

Mina smirks – of course she is dealing with a businessperson there. Only someone from business market would be insistent and saucy like that. “ _Why so difficult?_ ”, she read that relaxed writing, at the corner is a drawing of an orange slice with a sad face on it. Mina looks at the glasses in front of her and their sad decorative orange slices.

She opens her own purse, pulling her stack of business cards safe on a small metal box. “Excuse me, do you have a pen?” Mina asks and the grumpy barman feels the obligation of giving a pen to his costumer. “Thank you. And please, another old fashioned.”

She is left alone after being shoot by a murderous look from the men, but Mina’s smirk remains untouched.

“ _I hate old fashioned._ ” Mina writes at the back of her card. She gives it to the barman once the drink is ready and fights the urge to look back and search for the one who’s been buying her drinks, but she already gave her name on the business card.

-

“ _Why not? It is adults’ drink, Ms. Myoui.”_

_“I like sweeter things. And it is old people’s drink”_

_“Don’t call me old. I will pour some sugar on it, just for you.”_

_“Spoiling me, aren’t you? Do not waste your time.”_

_“It is not a waste; I call it an investment.”_

-

A pile of used cards after, Mina is genuinely smiling. If was not her phone buzzing on the counter, she would say what happened that was long forgotten.

She abandoned her task of writing an answer for her new friend to check the income text.

**-**

**9:58 PM**

_**You’re not home. Where are u?** _

_**We need to talk, please.** _

-

Mina scoffs, all of her smiling face melts right away. With her fingers avid and trembling in anger, she opens his contact and deletes his number. She does not bother to answer him. Right now, he must be standing at her door like an idiot, and she wants he remains like that for the whole night. She is not coming home.

She leans on the counter and face the last glass of fashioned that arrived. The crystal glass is sweating with the cold from the ice cubes; the orange slice does not seem so sad right now. Mina smells again the amber liquid with a suspicious expression on her natural neutral face and sips the cold drink. It is sweeter than she expects and she sees herself taking the first swig.

“Oh!” she looks at the glass on her hand with surprise. It is good.

When she finishes the glass, she owns a new energy. The whisky hits her with its nasty fist but the bitter suits her tongue with its bittersweet taste altogether with the extra sugar she is sure the bartender slid on it. Mina swirls the remaining ice cubes and drinks the last drop.

When she puts down the glass, Mina spots a woman with her peripheral. She is at a close distance, her elbow resting on the counter and her hand supports her extremely delicate face. She looks at Mina as someone watches a movie – bright round black eyes and an affirmative smile on her plump mouth.

Mina feels her blood running cold now. Her face grows paler than normal.

Something on her expression makes the woman giggle – and, oh God, she knows that giggle. She heard that giggle for three years, non-stop.

“Finally. I thought I’d have to spend all my night buying you drinks,” Son Chaeyoung says in her hoarse yet soothing voice.

Mina blinks and looks to, now, her empty glass. When she looks back to the woman, Mina does not trust on her eyes again. She catches another full glass, and gulps down its content on a failed try of coming to her senses again. Nothing changes, except Chaeyoung has worried eyes now.

“Slow down, Myuoi. I know it’s good, but I don’t want you tripping over your feet, ok?”

Before Mina panics or overthinks, Son Chaeyoung is sliding her body closer, sitting on the stool next to Mina’s. The lawyer takes the chance to look over the executive-like lady. The time only make her good, although she has the same delicate face, with her charming beauty mark right under her mouth, flawless skin, pinkish plump lips, her dark pit round eyes. Only her hair is slightly different, it is still straight but now is totally black, with a sharpened cut under her shoulders. Broad shoulders, Mina remarks, she still has broad shoulders and probably strong arms too – at least is what that tight charcoal pinstripe suit, that embrace her soft curves on the right places leaves for imagination.

Chaeyoung is an adult now. Not some 18 years-old girl. Her visual is sexy, but the dork expression on her face that makes Mina relax after that punch on her face.

Mina gulps. Then laughs.

She laughs a little too much, but the nervousness and happiness bubbling inside her chest are too much to hold back.

Chaeyoung is frowning her face the exact same way Mina knew she would do and when she gives out an uncertain smile,h dimples make an unexpected appearance on her cheeks. Oh, no, her dimples!, Mina groans internally.

“Jeez, never would imagine you would be that happy to see me” Chaeyoung snorts. Her pose is relaxed and cool, but by the way she fidgets with her fingers over the counter and look straight ahead to the same wall full of liquors Mina was staring before, she isn’t that calm.

A bit ashamed of her outburst, Mina recollects herself. She shakes her head to take her bangs out of her way and she smiles gently, hands crossed on her lap. “Well, I am happy. And surprised. And a little angry. I didn’t know you were back in town.”

“Huh, sorry?” Chaeyoung closes a single eye in a cute face. “I didn’t have your number. And well, I didn’t know if you wanted to see me again, to be honest.”

“But you bought me drinks the whole night.”

“I bought you drinks the whole night” Chaeyoung chuckles. Her cheeks are bright red now, and she looks a bit younger than she wanted to show it. “Hope your husband doesn’t mind, though.”

That fat, heavy word leaves Mina with a blank expression. She looks around them, but they are alone on the bar area. “What husband?”

“Oh. I saw you with a guy earlier, sorry. But then you sat here, so I thought it would be nice to buy you something else than that boring martini.”

“What is wrong with martinis?!” Mina spats almost hurt, but then she shakes her head, knowing that this is not the issue here. Her head is saying that does not matter if Chaeyoung thought he was her husband, because Mina has nothing to do with Chaeyoung anymore. They have not seen each other for a fair amount of years, so it does not make sense giving Chaeyoung explanations. Yet, she does. “He is not my husband; in fact, he is not even my boyfriend.”

“Really?” Chaeyoung is taken aback and Mina tries not to be happy with the puny hope she notices on her old roommate’s voice. “You looked all lovey-dovey” she squeezes her eyes suspiciously.

“I spilled a drink on his face!” Mina hits the counter with the same punch she used to give when Chaeyoung took her out her comfort zone.

“Oh shit, this is not the Myoui Mina I know” Chaeyoung laughs with shot up eyebrows.

“I grow some balls on these last five… six years?”

“Six. Not that I am counting.”

They fall into a weird silence. There is so much going on Mina’s head that she cannot think about nothing to talk. She wants to ask where Chaeyoung has been – she knows the girl moved to Canada to get her MBA after finishing college, by the time Mina was already working at an office and they barely talked to each other. Sudden, Mina feels the weight of the years and the little decisions she made long time ago. She knows they could have been something more, she knew this back at the time too.

However, six years ago they were not capable to hold a relationship. Mina was jealousy and possessive, Chaeyoung was way too immature. It would never work out at that time. And when Mina left their shared dorm after her graduation, she only confirmed that.

Chaeyoung seems to be thinking about the same thing when their eyes met again and then divert, looking everything around.

“They are boring and plain.” Chaeyoung states bluntly.

Mina shoots her head up, confused.

Chaeyoung smiles, all dimples, and explains. “The martini. You asked what is wrong with them; they are boring and plain.”

“Then it suits me.”

“Oh, don’t you dare!” Is Chaeyoung’s turn to slap the counter with an outraged expression. “You don’t have a single bone of boring and plain! You can totally pull the look of a good whisky with a shot of bitter and, as required, extra sugar on it.”

Of course that makes Mina smiles. The womanly girl next to her is talking with heat and admiration. Mina was Chaeyoung’s role model during college – not because of her grades and obsession for study, but for her confidence and cold head.

“Don’t forget an orange slice for decoration purpose” Mina winks and takes the slice of fruit hanging from the edge of cup. When she met Chaeyoung’s eyes again, Mina can notice the girl has been watching her with a smirk.

“Now I can rest knowing I teach you something valuable.”

“Yes, imagine me spending my whole life thinking old fashioned are for old men.”

“We are not men, or old, so this is an invalid point.” Noticing the barman hovering around, Chaeyoung raises two fingers signaling another two old fashioned. “Let’s drink together.”

Mina nods. By now, she would accept anything Chaeyoung proposed her. It’s like the younger woman was sent from heaven right in middle of that tempestuous and weird night. Feels like a hundred nights have passed since Mina got that awful news and made a little scene on that same bar. Feels like another lifetime being sit with Chaeyoung, on a fancy place, both of them wearing brand clothes and looking so grown up. Feels like meeting her old roommate for the first time.

It hits Mina’s heart. She is 22 all over again.

The barman brings two fresh old fashioned and cleans the counter, getting rid of the old discharged drinks.

“So, if you’re not married, why are you standing here alone refusing all my drinks?” Chaeyoung asks from behind her glass and sips her drink, never diverting her eyes again.

Mina shifts on her stool and adjusts the hem of her dress, although it’s on its right place she needs to keep her fingers occupied. “Well, I– we fought, that guy and I. He is at my door right now, so I think this place is better for now.”

“Is he bothering you?” Chaeyoung suddenly straights up her posture and frowns. Mina will never tell her she looks cute rather than intimidating.

Chuckling, Mina covers Chaeyoung’s hand with her own to bring down her nerves. However, her heart shoots an unexpected beat and heat is slowly rising from her chest to her neck and ears. She quickly retrieves her hand and holds her glass. That is why she needs to keep her hands busy.

“No, no. He is just a huge asshole” Mina sighs when she noticed she just swore. “Sorry.”

“Mina, you can curse in my presence” Chaeyoung let out a giggling laugh. “Well, if he is bothering, just let me now. I am small, but this is my secret weapon.”

“Thank you” Mina whispers in the middle of a smile. “So, are you into the business world now?”

They chat about their current lives. Chaeyoung is working as junior manager in a huge entertainment company, dealing with publicity contracts and partnerships. Pride is what Mina feels while she watches the younger talking about her job with that passion and how much she had grown. The new Chaeyoung isn’t any different from the 18 years old Mina met for the first time at college, just a better version of her old self. Mina wonders if Chaeyoung thinks the same about her, or if she still is the same girl she was at college – the answer for this question can be bitter, though, so Mina does not dare to ask.

After what it seems to be a long time, they sighed with tired throats and cheeks hurting from smiling. Intimacy is not something you can fake, Mina guesses. As soon as they fell into a conversation, their bodies got closer and their voices soother. They laughed at small things and Mina felt like diving into Chaeyoung’s dark eyes and unique way of talking.

The warm cozy feeling is broken once someone coughs somewhere behind them. Three women are standing next to the bar, politely waiting for some attention. Mina recognizes Dahyun and Jeongyeon, old friends of Chaeyoung, at the back and the younger waves at her, a giant smile spread on her face.

“Sorry to interrupt. Hi, Mina, nice to see you” Jeongyeon gives Mina a little pat on the shoulder while speaking rapidly. “Chaeng, we’re leaving. Dahyun is not feeling very well.”

“I am definitely not drunk” Dahyun says from behind, sounding exactly the opposite.

Mina sulks.

Her gaze travels from Chaeyoung to Jeongyeon, trying to read the silent conversation they are having through eyes. After a few moments of complete silent, Mina sees how Chaeyoung’s shoulders fall and she knows Jeongyeon won, whatever their argument was about.

Defeated, Chaeyoung gets up. She has a childish expression on her face, her old pouty mouth is back. Mina feels the urge to ask her to stay a little more, but her throat is tight, no words ever come out.

“Huh, I have your number now” Chaeyoung says already sounding apologetic, holding one of Mina’s card between her fingers. Her eyes are two round orbits, so black and so bright, staring into Mina’s. She feels small and connected to the younger, almost like they still shared that tiny apartment, like she still visits Chaeyoung’s room every night. “Can I give you a call?”

What she is supposed to say? Saying yes is not a guarantee Chaeyoung is actually calling, but she is willing, nevertheless. However, she manages to control her expression, something she is very good at, and shows her gummy to Chaeyoung. “Sure.”

Call me, her light brown eyes beg in silent, hoping Chaeyoung could read her appeal.

There is no such thing as a farewell. Both women just nod in a silent goodbye and a short wave of hand. The small group leaves, and Mina stays behind, watching. Mina follows the discrete swing of Chaeyoung’s hips on those suit pants with her eyes, checking out a little too much the perfect shape of her ass. She snaps back, looking around a bit embarrassed, afraid of being caught.

Mina can see now the reason of her night taking an unexpected turn and becoming an enjoyable time about to leave in her well-fitted suit with a bunch of other girls

What am I doing?

She does not answer her own question but gets up from her stool and jogs on her high heels after the group that was leaving by the double massive doors. Chaeyoung is the last one, remaining behind as she fidgets something on her small purse. Mina halts on the place. What am I doing?, the question hits her again, but this time it makes its effect. She turns back around and goes inside the bar again; her head must be on the clouds because she left her purse and coat behind.

When she sits again, Mina is feeling dizzy.

There is a slight feeling of lingering. Being alone again feels worse now. Mina did not notice how much hope she had put on Chaeyoung’s sudden appearance. She scolds herself, for getting out of a dead-end relationship and she is already thinking about a stupid old dead-end relationship.

Mina waves to the barman and ask for another dose. Just one more before she goes to check that presidential suite.

-

Acquiescent, Mina is waiting for the elevator with her keycard on hands. Her phone is flooded with texts from an unknown number she knows very well who belongs to, but she can’t help to check the device at every little buzz, hoping the number is another one. He is promising to stay the entire night in front of her door until she comes back home – Mina smiles at her inner joke, cheering he would waste a lot of time. She kicks the red fancy carpet under her shoes, playing with the velvet pattern of the fabric to kill her time.

First, she would take a nice bath, maybe drink some wine while doing it. She could spend her whole night watching dramas on TV and then order some much-overpriced meal from hotel’s cousine. Mina starts to be hyped to spend her night alone away from her neutral and ethereal decorated home, although the weight on her phone now seems unbearable.

The elevator arrives with a soft ring and its shining doors open. Mina is patiently waiting for a couple to get out of it when a warm small hand holds her wrist softly. Even startled, Mina smiles to a breathless Chaeyoung. Her black hair is a bit messy and chest is clearly rising and falling.

“Chaeng” Mina puts her hand on the younger’s shoulder, trying to calm her down.

“Are… you leaving? Or should I say staying?” Chaeyoung reduces her breath until it evens. Her hand falls from Mina wrist as if she only noticed she is holding the lawyer now.

“Hum, yeah. I have a room waiting for me” Mina shows the black key-card she’s holding.

The short woman face melts a little, looking almost disappointed, but Mina can see she tried hard to cover it. “Oh, damn. Seems like my plan to take you home sounds failed now.” Chaeyoung scratches the back of her head, messing even more the straight dark locks. “Well, then goodbye again.”

But she does not leave. Mina places a gentle touch on Chaeyoung’s forearm to make her stop. “Hold up, wait.” Mina thinks about her proposal for five seconds before she can speak again. She weights the pleasure of taking a relaxing bath with wine and eating French food while watching dramas by herself, and then Chaeyoung’s presence. One thing does not exclude another, Mina bargain with herself. _Guess I want to go down this road again._ “If you want to… stay a little? We can have old fashioned in my room.”


	2. maraschino cherries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains explicit content.

The elevator is painfully slow.

Both women are staring at each other through the mirror. They don’t seem able to divert their gazes anymore. Somehow, the soft invitation holds mysterious meanings behind the simple act of having a few more drinks.

Chaeyoung is inflicting her lower lip with her teeth until the point she tastes blood, but her eyes don’t fall or look away.

She wonders if Mina is thinking about what she is thinking.

Is Mina feeling the erratic beat of her heart too? Does she feel the tension filling that metal box and leaving their chests so tight that is hard to breath? Or is it just Chaeyoung feeling those symptoms, so similar to the ones Mina used to provoke on her every time she walked quietly into Chaeyoung’s bedroom at the middle of the night, long ago? She is not a school sophomore anymore, yet her body does not get that.

Maybe Chaeyoung is overthinking – the elevator is big, but it’s a sealed environment, that’s probably why she is feeling hot and uneasy. It’s taking so long, she whines, this silent is killing me. She cannot think too much – this only make things worse. But Mina looks so perfect, so ethereal through that reflection, it is impossible to stay unbothered and not think about her. All of her, since her high but short ponytail, her bangs reaching her eyebrows, the fine makeup of her eyes that seem sharper and lighter than Chaeyoung remembered. And her freckles! Chaeyoung almost let out silly giggles once her eyes lay on Mina’s freckles, unnoticed until now under the dim lights of the bar.

Lately, she has been dreaming about those freckles, eyes and perfect pale skin, that healthy body – how does her body looks even better now? – but her memory never made justice to Mina’s energy. Her magnetic force works way too hard on Chaeyoung and now she is feeling breathless again. This is not elevator’s fault.

Oblivious to what is going on inside Chaeyoung’s mind, Mina squeeze her lips by the time the elevator stops. 21th floor, the rooftop presidential suite.

They step outside. The huge corridor is all beige and golden, from its carpet to its ceiling. Mina is unpretentiously fanning herself with her keycard, all lost on her own thoughts. Chaeyoung feels like cutting the heavy atmosphere with a knife, or a joke. No, not one of your jokes!, she heard her own voice scolding.

Choosing to stay in silence just as her company, she walks next to Mina.

They stop at the only double doors on that large hallway. Mina swipes the card in the lock and opens the door.

As expected, it is huge. And exudes wealth and luxury. White leather, golden nobs, fluffy carpets and a huge master suite can be spot beyond the second pair of double doors. Chaeyoung slides her hand over the creamy surface of the couch, the leather is cold to the touch, but very soft.

“All law firms pay this much?” She jokes, examining the neutral paintings hanging on the walls, a bit distracted.

Mina, being Mina, only smile softly, but shrugs. She can’t deny it, she has a comfortable life, much above average.

The lawyer walks towards the full-set bar that displays a variety of liquors and snacks like nuts, Swiss chocolates and dry weird fruits. Mina opens the glass cabinets and the minifridge. “O-ho” she cutely says. “Looks like the old fashioned is not happening this night – we don’t have the bitter.” She sighs, but soon her heart shaped face is lit again. “But we still have martinis! Gin and vermouth. What do you say?!”

Chaeyoung pretends to be hurt and sighs dramatically, throwing herself against the giant sofa with a soft ‘puft’. “Ok, hit me.”

Mina giggles. Chaeyoung watches her walking from side to side, preparing her favorite drinks while wades in her own funny way. “Maraschinos!” Mina celebrates once she finds a small crystal jar of maraschino cherries. “We are going the Gibson way.”

A shining crystal glass filled with transparent liquor and one single bright red cherry is handed to Chaeyoung. She takes the drink and does not make any effort to avert the light brush of Mina’s fingers on hers.

“Ready?” The lawyer is sitting right next to her, one drink in hand. She looks anxious, very Mina way of being competitive and agreeable.

Chaeyoung nods and sips. It’s sweeter than what she usually has, but she likes the cherry and she likes that Mina was the one who fashioned it just for her.

So, she gulps down in one single swing of the glass.

“Well, that’s not fun” Mina pouts, fishing Chaeyoung’s cherry with a ninja ability.

“Hey!” Chaeyoung laughs outraged at the scene of her favorite part of the drink being stolen by Mina, simply like that. However, she does not stop the woman to snap the fruit and bite it, looking happily satisfied. Chaeyoung shrugs, giving it a cold shoulder. “That’s okay, you’re paying for it anyway.”

“I know it’s okay, you are of a strawberry girl” Mina sighs, relaxing onto the sofa.

The couch is big, and their bodies sink into it. Mina takes off her shoes and wiggles her toes, making both laugh at her silly antic. Weird funny Mina is still here, Chaeyoung let her eyes lay on the woman next to her.

A sting hits Chaeyoung’s heart. She never forgot how much she liked Mina and her light mood, soft voice and elegant manners, but being in her presence again is a whole different thing than her own memories. She looks even more elegant with her off-shoulder crepe dress, a classical look for a lawyer of her status. Suddenly, that hot creepy sensation is back, and this time they are not inside a metal box so Chaeyoung cannot really blame it. 

“Fancy another one?” Mina asks nervously, staring at Chaeyoung’s blank expression.

God, I must’ve been staring at her!, she cries, nodding enthusiastically and giving Mina her glass back.

Gracefully, Mina jumps up from the couch and walks until the bar; her bare feet makes her penguin-like walk look more prominent. Chaeyoung smiles, knowing that weird wades of her is because of years of ballet, which also gave Mina her thin silhouette and elegant posture, always mistaken by stiff and arrogant. She is staring at Mina again, Chaeyoung notices, but why does it feels so difficult to not to?

Well. Not so deeply, she knows why.

Overthinking turns out to be her newest nightmare. Mina is too busy making her own alchemy to pay attention to her nervous body on the couch. Chaeyoung wishes she could know what will happen this night now that she in Mina’s room. It’s not wrong to presume things, especially when she is so close to Mina and all the weight their connection has. Nevertheless, she has to avoid hoping too much. This night may result in nothing, maybe they won’t ever speak again after Chaeyoung leaves.

This is probably the universe laughing at Chaeyoung’s face for being so stupid when younger and let this amazing woman slip through her fingers. She really thought the world would be plenty of women like Mina. How sweetly wrong she was. Lately, she discovered there is no one. Only Mina.

Chaeyoung sighs and looks up, waiting for a sign that never comes. She would have to make her own sign if she wanted to know which road things would take.

“Mina?” Her voice is hoarser than normal, like someone that does not speak from a long time. Nerves.

“Hum?” The lawyer does not turn back. Chaeyoung wishes she stays like this, because it will be easier this way.

“Do you recall when I said I saw you earlier tonight with that guy?”

“Huh, yes, Chaeng…” Mina looks over her shoulder for a brief second before goes back to her task. “What about it?”

It’s Chaeyoung’s time for taking off her shoes as a matter of gaining some time. Please, don’t let me sound like a creep! “Well, actually, I saw you two some time ago. A month, to be more specific.”

Confused, Mina is chuckling, sounding skeptic. This time she turns around and rest her hip again the bar counter, her hands holding a fair amount of cherries. “What?”

A weird laugh escapes Chaeyoung lips and she can’t look at Mina’s eyes now, so she focuses on the intricate pattern of the carpet. “Yeah. I saw you a month ago, at this same bar… I could not believe my eyes when I saw you walking in, but I don’t think my eyes would be mistaken by you, you know” heat is burning on her cheeks and she feels like a little kid telling one of her mischiefs. “I knew I had to talk to you, but then that guy appeared and you two looked like, well, a couple. Sure I expected you had a boyfriend or something, it’s you, so I was not surprised at all, I still wanted to talk with you, but then Jeong said he was probably your husband and I back off. I felt like crying, but it was so silly that I chose to pretend I never saw you.”

Chaeyoung speaks so fast that she feels the lack of oxygen. Mina does not move, even the cherries are on the same place.

“I came back to the bar a week later and you were here again with the same guy. I almost left, but the girls made me stay. They started to get piss off with me, well… They’ve been like that since college. That week you left, after you got your degree, I cried for like days. Dahyun had a hard time with me as roommate because I was being such a brat.” Chaeyoung shrugs, like it was an inevitable behavior for her. “I– I thought you should know I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately, even after I saw you with that guy. I came to this bar every week or so just to keep seeing you. I was afraid that someday you would stop showing up and I’d lose my chance to talk with you one last time…” she sighs and looks down at her lap. Mina’s gaze is so still and glassy that is too heavy to handle. Chaeyoung does not believe she is physically capable of handle Mina’s intensity anymore. “When I saw you alone today… well, I took my chance. I didn’t know how you felt about me, so… yeah. Jeongyeon dragged me out of the bar thinking I was doing something stupid, like trying to hook up with some married girl. It was so hard to convince her to let me go back inside!” She laughs off her nerves.

Mina does not say anything, in fact, Chaeyoung believes she is not breathing at all.

She is uncapable of read Mina’s expression – her eyes are unfocused, and her mouth is squeezed into a thin line, she looks totally lost inside her own head. “A-are you mad at me? Please, don’t… don’t be so quiet” Chaeyoung begs, shifting on the couch with down cast eyes. Her vision is a bit blurred as big fat tears starts to form.

With a soft thump, all the cherries Mina was holding hit the ground. Chaeyoung looks up a little confused but it is too late.

Mina is getting closer with resolved steps, thump, thump, thump, until she reaches the sofa. Like space is something frivolous, she simply straddles Chaeyoung numb body and holds her face carefully on with her soft hands, crushing her mouth against Chaeyoung’s. Chaeyoung only blinks before their lips met. All happens so fast, like a hurricane of smells, sights and tastes. Mina’s lips are insistent against her own, she moves them with the hunger of someone desperate, but Chaeyoung is too taken aback.

When her hands finally come alive, she holds tightly on Mina’s hips, keeping her close when the kiss is broke.

They stare into each other eyes, asking and answering mum questions. Mina is panting and a delicate blush invade her cheeks.

“You don’t hate me? You don’t think I am a weirdo?” Chaeyoung whispers. She can’t retain her hand that reaches Mina’s bangs and put them aside, away from her eyes. Chaeyoung needs to see those liquid chocolate eyes.

Mina lingers against the palm of her hand, her gleaming eyes closing. Chaeyoung can see her eyelashes brushing her skin and she looks so fair like she could break. Now that they are so close, jasmine scent fills Chaeyoung nostrils like a sweet memory from their past.

“How could I?” Mina whispers, her voice like a touch of a feather.

When she opens her eyes, they are airy.

Chaeyoung does not hold back. Everything she wanted to hear is Mina soft voice saying soothing things to her, but she cannot avoid those plump ruddy lips anymore. This time her grip on Mina’s flesh intensifies. Mina needs to know she is here, and that she wants to be here.

In sync, they invade each other’s mouth with almost immoral tongues. However, the kiss is not sloppy, it is fitted, both mouths dancing together into a slow and sensual rhythm. Chaeyoung feels the vibration of Mina’s soft moans when her hands squeeze lightly her thighs now that her dress is giving her the permission to it. Next thing she knows, Chaeyoung is filling her hands with Mina, gripping her perfect round ass under the fabric, which makes the lawyer chuckle. Still a horny teenager, she thinks to herself.

Behind closed lids and submersed on that heavy and hot weather, Chaeyoung goes back in time, when she used to claim this mouth everytime she was feeling to. Remembering herself to not take anything for granted, she leans forward, sliding her hand until she is holding Mina’s nape safely, so they stay pressed against each other.

Chaeyoung battles with the need for air and the need of keep kissing Mina. She does not want to part from her, afraid she won’t be able to get this close again. But when they do part, Mina looks even hungrier than before.

The lawyer drags her hands through Chaeyoung locks, letting the silky strands fall through her fingers with a pleasure sensation. She kisses the beauty mark under Chaeyoung’s mouth, causing the younger to smile with her delicacy. Her mouth keeps pouring kisses all over Chaeyoung’s face, her nose, cheeks, closed eyes and forehead, and finally she arrives at the woman’s ear. Even before Mina speaks anything, Chaeyoung can feel her skin reacting to the lawyer’s hot breath on that sensitive spot.

“I missed you so much” Mina whispers, if her mouth wasn’t this close, Chaeyoung would not hear her. Her hands are soft and warm, going down from Chaeyoung’s nape to be set on her shoulders, sliding Chaeyoung’s tailored blazer from her arms, leaving her with a silky thin strap black top that it seems glued to her pale skin. Her hands keep descending, touching the skin not covered by the top, lured by the shocking contrast between dark fabric and fair skin. “I missed your skin” she breaths once again, hovering her mouth painfully slow over Chaeyoung’s neck. The younger closes her eyes, lost into the hot trail Mina’s kisses are leaving on her skin; “I missed your taste”, and Chaeyoung feels the hot and wet touch of Mina’s tongue between kisses, sucking the thin skin. The younger scowls, that repetitive and paced infliction on her skin making her core twist and ache into a dripping state. “I missed your body” Mina’s hands are dangerously close to Chaeyoung’s boobs now, poorly protected by a strapless bra and the layer of silk. And Mina knows that. And Mina takes advantage of that, hooking her finger on that thin thread of silk that holds the top on Chaeyoung’s body, sliding it down the pale shoulder just like she did with her blazer. She spread her kisses along Chaeyoung’s collarbone, following the delicate bone until it, where she bites gently. “You are so pretty, Chaeng. You’ve became such a pretty woman…”

Mina’s voice is just like honey dripping from a honeycomb. Chaeyoung wants to reach out and suck all that sweet nectar that could satiate her craves. She moves her head, looking for Mina’s mouth and captures it easily, exploring that sweet wet cave with passion. She is so turned on. Her nipples are almost hurting for being harden and pressed against her bra, so close yet so far from Mina’s touch, and the Mina’s weight on her legs suppress the sore feeling between her own thighs.

Chaeyoung let it out a moan, because Mina looks growing tired of being that gentle. She sucks and nibbles Chaeyoung plump lower lip as she wants, like it’s her own little toy, and Chaeyoung loves it. Their hands are everywhere at the same time – waste, chest, thighs – as their mouth only disconnect to find some oxygen.

They take their time to relearn their bodies again. The right way of kissing their skins, how Mina likes to be held, squeezed, how Chaeyoung always moans when Mina bites her sensitive skin. They leave marks on each other, red and purple love bites and hickeys. The sound of their kisses is loud and sometimes they are interrupted by giggles and sighs, especially when Mina ignores the existence of Chaeyoung’s bra and take the firm mounds on her hands, holding them together for her own pleasure just to go back and kiss the girl that is holding her with her dear life.

Dizziness is taking Chaeyoung’s head. It feels surreal that perfect woman on her lap, grinding and moaning sweetly just for her.

But then Mina parts away and gets up without a warning.

The sudden move catches Chaeyoung attention just like a lured puppy, looking at Mina with her large pleading eyes. Come back, she whines almost pouting. But Mina only smiles at her. So belligerent, so skillfully, she opens the side zipper of her dress and gets rid of it with a single fling of nude fabric.

Chaeyoung feels her heart bombing scorching hot blood through her veins at the sight of Mina partially naked, covered by a bodysuit lingerie, no straps, only its translucid white lacy that shows Mina perfect perky breasts and the clean shaved intersection between her thighs. Chaeyoung pays special attention on how the fabric is soaked there, which conveniently leaves it even more translucid. Her mouth waters.

Mina knows her effects, she knows how Chaeyoung’s eyes would follow her around the living room, shamelessly checking out her ass, thighs and lastly, her face. When she gets at the bedroom’s door, Mina reaches her hand towards the woman sitting on the couch, softly asking “Are you coming?”

Next thing Chaeyoung know is that she is being pushed against expensive sheets. Her head gently hits the pile of pillows and she catches her breath while looking for Mina at the end of the bed.

The lawyer is freeing her hair from the still perfect ponytail and Chaeyoung admires how her dark hair falls around her perfect face until it hits her shoulders like ebony waterfall. If she wasn’t wearing such a lascivious lingerie, Chaeyoung would have said Mina looked like a porcelain doll now.

Forget about dolls, Chaeyoung thinks when Mina starts a sinful crawling over her body, on all four. She stops just to open the zipper of Chaeyoung’s pants and hauls the piece of cloth off, leaving the woman barely dressed. Mina sits on her heels, nested between Chaeyoung’s legs while her nails, short and manicured, sink into Chaeyoung’s thighs, trailing until her ass now covered by cotton panties.

“Damnit, you’re so hot” Chaeyoung squeals, sitting up and pulling Mina towards her. They are tangled into an intimate embrace, where Chaeyoung cages Mina inside her legs and arms. 

Enough of waiting, Chaeyoung easily turns her body over Mina’s, changing places with her. She is now on top, and Mina is gloriously spread on those white sheets ready to be taken. Chaeyoung downs on her, her mouth being called by Mina’s to initiate a hot kiss again. She places herself between Mina’s thighs, and when they broke apart, she leans back to look.

Mina’s pinkish nipples are visible through the lacy, both swollen and harden, while her core is all exposed by the translucid fabric. Chaeyoung can see Mina’s inner thighs covered by a layer of her own juices that escaped from the lingerie, and the lawyer does not seem to care – under Chaeyoung’s gaze, Mina spread her legs even more, her hands seem to obey Chaeyoung’s eyes, lowering from her chest until her navel, resting dangerously close from the core. The younger is hypnotized by the amount of lust that woman can emanate only lying on the bed, aroused and needy.

Biting her lips is the only way to control her moans. Chaeyoung takes a mental picture of the scenery in front of her before she ruins it. She takes of her top and bra, smirking when Mina becomes agitated and reaches her hands to Chaeyoung. The younger is not crazy and does not want to deny the pleasure of having Mina’s hands over her, so it’s her turn to crawl over the most perfect body she has ever seen. Mina’s eyes never leave her chest area, and when Chaeyoung is close enough, the lawyer circles Chaeyoung’s boobs with her hands, gently squeezing the sensitives mounds. She pinches on nipple while barely brushes her finger against the other, leaving a tingling sensation that covers Chaeyoung’s body and makes her release low groans.

Mina lift her body up a little, the urging of sucking and biting taking over her. Chaeyoung’s mouth turns to be her victim again with a hard kiss, but before Chaeyoung can make it deeper, Mina is already leaving. Her mouth goes south, downing on her chin and throat like a stream of lava that can’t be stopped.

Once she reaches Chaeyoung’s boobs, Mina makes her miserable.

She not only pinches the soft bosom but attacks it with her tongue and teeth. Chaeyoung is a hot whining mess as Mina sucks one of her nipples with thirst and massage the other in a tortuously good pace. “Oh, Mina, this f-feels so good” she mumbles totally disconnect from her own mind. Her hair is sticking around her face and neck and it’s hard to balance her own weight over Mina now. She gasps for air when loud pop can be heard before Mina leaves her punished skin. “God, I almost cum right now” Chaeyoung has her eyes large and awed, making Mina laugh.

“You’re too sensitive, love” she sings, watching Chaeyoung with nasty eyes.

“If I am not mistaken, so are you” she spats back, smirking because with one single flick of her finger against the very exposed Mina’s core, she collected an obscene amount of juices. Mina close her eyes instinctively at the touch, although it ends as quick as it starts. “You used to love when I touched you right here” now the younger covers Mina core completely, pressing the flat of her palm against her aching bud. Mina jolts and then squeals, like she is about to cry. Chaeyoung shots a single eyebrow up, mocking the suffering Mina. “Do you remember how I used to fuck you, Minari?”

The question hangs on the air until it hits Mina with a weight of a thousand pounds. When her breath comes out, it is shaky and heavy just like her eyes, that watch Chaeyoung through half-lids now. Mina poorly nods.

Chaeyoung smiles shortly and drags a single index finger a little up, out of Mina’s wet zone. Its tip is honeyed with her juices, going up and up until it is between Mina’s breasts. Chaeyoung circles one inflicted nipple, feeling its bump trough the lingerie.

“Turn around so I can open it” Mina listens to the hoarse voice pouring lust. She feels her core clenching around emptiness with the ordering tone of Chaeyoung, but she does not flinch. Instead, Mina gracefully turns around, perking her ass just for the sake of teasing.

But Chaeyoung corresponds. She lets a moan roll out of her mouth through her teeth. Mina’s skin is perfect and immaculate, with nothing but sparse freckles covering it. Chaeyoung follows a trail of three small freckles on the back of Mina’s thigh, like her own little constellation. Her hand is heavy against Mina’s skin, brushing that tender surface with devotion and registering red marks on it.

Chaeyoung forgets for a minute about the lingerie permanence, her eyes are glued to Mina’s perfect wet folds that are claiming for her attention behind their lacy prison. She bites her lip to suppress the moan the fills her throat once she traces the sore slit over the fabric, sinking it a little into that wet mess. Mina gets startled and a high pitch noise comes out of her mouth, causing a genuinely smile on Chaeyoung’s face.

Chaeyoung can’t see her face very well, but her voice sounds almost weak. “Chaeng, please…”

Tired of teasing, Chaeyoung diverts her hands until the lingerie’s clasp. She hopes there will enough time to play these games in the future, because now is not the moment, not after all those years. She undoes the clasps until the piece is just a limp huddle of fabric gathered around Mina’s hips. “Move, babe” her voice feels natural giving Mina instructions. Mina lift one knee after another until she is totally naked and exposed for her lover.

Not once in her life Chaeyoung has seen such a submissive yet powerful scene; her Mina is willingly showing all of herself to Chaeyoung, from her dripping pussy until her bare ass, confirming all the perfection the younger still remembered. Chaeyoung pushes oxygen through her clenched teeth. She does not even blink, she does not want to miss a single detail of that damp complex. Mina’s core is swollen and pinkish of holding back so much tension on a such small area.

Moved only by a hunger desire, Chaeyoung moves her finger a little up, a little down, massaging the warm flesh offered to her. Mina is singing like a symphony now, with her low breathy moans that follow Chaeyoung slow moves. “What, Minari? What do you want?” She whispers, her other hand is now drifting along her lover’s skin, tracing the amazing curve between Mina’s ribcage and her ass.

Closing the short distance between their bodies, Mina throws her hip against Chaeyoung, looking for any touch that can give her relief. “I want you. I need you, Chaeng, I’m so… hot… It hurts” she whines, and each pause she uses to push her ass against Chaeyoung torso.

Shit, Chaeyoung eyes are large. She never faced that kind of situation before and arousing is dripping from her own core right now. Mina is leaving a wet path against her knees and torso, painting Chaeyoung with her juices like an artist. She catches Mina hips, biting her lips at the feeling of the delicious grinding the other one is providing to both of them. Chaeyoung lose a second or two imagining how it would be to fuck someone like Mina from behind, but then why she is thinking about it, when she can just do it?

She will do it for Mina. Her poor lover is doing everything she can to find her release now.

“Shhh, babe, is going to be fine” Chaeyoung purrs, her hand soothing the skin of Mina’s strong abs until it goes a little further. Mina’s boobs have the exact size Chaeyoung considers perfect – maybe she was influenced by the very Mina, after all – and she holds the firm mound so softly as if could break it. Even Chaeyoung let out a moan to the feeling of her hand being filled perfectly by the warm skin and flesh, and when she tights her holding, Mina whimpers. “I will make you feel good now.”

After a heavy shaky sigh and the hard task of leave Mina’s breast, she closes her hand around Mina’s waist and drags the woman up. Mina’s body comes right against Chaeyoung’s, and seeing that neck so vulnerable, Chaeyoung lands her mouth there, kissing the area as her hands travel to their rightful places like there are magnetics attracting them.

Mina spreads her knees already waiting for the touch that does not take much longer to arrive. Chaeyoung slides her hands over Mina stomach and navel, leaving the tickling feeling that can only be described as anticipation over Mina’s skin. It is overwhelming how Chaeyoung’s mouth is devouring her neck at the same time one of her hands claims her body, descending until her pulsing area as the other one covers her left breast, pulling her nipple softy. She can only rely her body against the thin structure of her lover when Chaeyoung’s fingers finally invade her slit. Mina does not want to fight the wave of heat and pleasure that takes her from all those different spots – neck, breasts and pussy, all being treated so good by her Chaeng. Her heavy eyes follow slim warm fingers circling around her clit with light strokes that shoot electric charges through her core and belly. She wants to moan, but suddenly she is speechless. The air feels like suspended when pleasure wash her over like a pouring rain, from her belly to her toes.

Mina is almost reaching her ecstasy and it hurts to hold it back.

Feeling like she is missing a great spectacle, Chaeyoung gets on her knees and uses Mina’s shoulder as support, placing her chin right on the crook of her neck. Mina is a total loss; her head is falling onto Chaeyoung’s shoulder and her pert breast rise and fall everytime she gasps for oxygen. Chaeyoung smiles, proud of her making. She plays with Mina’s bud until her core is so wet her fingers start to skid. Chaeyoung divert her fingers and take a look at the diamond strings Mina’s juices left on her. “Mina… did you- have you come already?” Chaeyoung asks breathlessly in awe.

Mina nods weakly and rolls her hips while doing it, wanting Chaeyoung’s attention again down there. Chaeyoung chuckles, plating a peck on her lover’s cheek before doing as she is demanding for. Chaeyoung claims her possession again, sliding her fingers even downer than before until the silky and damp entrance. She sinks two fingers at once, feeling the welcoming sensation of Mina’s slit stretching to open the needed space for Chaeyoung. She can’t hold back a grunt when that scorching hot fissure suddenly clenches and then releases her fingers, like a short but hard bite.

Chaeyoung remembers how hard Mina liked to be fucked. Three fingers. Flat palm against her clit. Naughty words against her ear. Although the space is limited due to their bodies being so close to each other, Chaeyoung does as she remembers. Adding another finger as her palm covers the throbbing clit – just this is enough to bring Mina back to life. She shots her head up and moans with shut closed eyes, her bangs have the familiar messy look that Chaeyoung recalls back in the college days. Her palm hits Mina sensitive bundle of nerves with precisive pace intercalating with the slow thrusts on her core.

Her other hand just holds Mina on her place right now, securing the woman won’t fall.

Even Chaeyoung finds hard to concentrate. The feeling of owning Mina in her most venerable state makes her feel like an animal, she wants to possess and claim that woman. Their scents are filling the room, everything smells and sounds like sex, slow and wet, a mellow cadence of fingers hitting sweet spots. It is becoming uncomfortable to keep her panties on, since they are drenched, her thighs are stick and the constant friction of Chaeyoung’s nipples against Mina’s back is too good to be stopped.

“Chaeng” is the only word Mina can speak now. She feels like crying with the filling sensation reaching her deep, hitting her spot over and over again, throwing her into a sea of hot waters and pulling her back again when her clit is nudged.

Chaeyoung turns to kiss her neck again, not minding the thin layer of sweat is covering Mina. Her skin is glistening under the lights. “Beautiful…” Chaeyoung thinks out loud. Mina looks so fucking beautiful when she is undressed from all of her elegant posture and professional aura. She looks so pretty all disheveled, disturbed by pleasure, willing to give herself.

Mina’s hips start to roll back and forth into some erratic rhythm, and Chaeyoung knows she is getting close again. Her fingers are squeezed inside her core just to be covered by a new flood. Mina shakes and shivers, and her body would have fall towards the bed if Chaeyoung wasn’t holding her. The younger smiles, withdrawing her now hot and wet fingers, but not before massaging the sensitive zone to easy its soreness.

Mina pants weakly.

“You did so good, babe” Chaeyoung spread kisses along Mina’s shoulders and back, snuggling her nape that is dropping sweat now. “Lay down for me now, will you?”

Mina not only lays, she throws herself onto the bed with her arms around her head but a smile spread on her face. She looks so relaxed that brings a tender smile on Chaeyoung’s lips. Chaeyoung finds hard to refuse to that plump mouth a kiss right now, but she has more important needs.

Still locked in her state of bliss, Mina is not prepared for what is next. Chaeyoung does not spare her one second to think before her mouth starts to eat her out. Mina cries out loud due to the shocking pleasure that comes to hit her again. Her core is pulsing hard on the erratic rhythm of her own heart, she can hear the thump, thump, thump of those heavy beats.

Chaeyoung is hungry, her tongue is playing with the swollen and oversensitive bundle, circling and licking it alternatively. Once she is in touch with Mina’s taste it becomes hard to stop. She wants to feel that sweet and tangy savor for the rest of her days, or for the rest of the night, if she has to be more plausible. Chaeyoung’s lips and chin are all honeyed with Mina’s liquids, but she hardly cares – all she knows is that her warm core is ready to be sucked and fucked all over again, and by the sounds Mina is making, she is not so far from succumbing again.

Overstimulation is painfully good, Mina thinks. She wants Chaeyoung to stop and give her a break, her pussy is aching and tight, and toes are curling and there are tears falling from the corner of her eyes. But at the same time, Mina wants more. She wants Chaeyoung devouring her, pushing her over the limit again and again, until it’s possible. The latter wish is the one that wins, and Mina tangles her hands with Chaeyoung’s hair. She pulls the delicate yet lascivious mouth against her core until that skillful tongue invade her in an open mouth kiss.

Mina’s back starts to bend. Her mouth spills Chaeyoung name like a religious chant.

She comes undone one more time, rolling her hips to get more and more of that plump lips that are sucking the life out of her.

Mina loses the track of time once she is lays flat on her back. She does not feel capable of moving anymore even knowing her fingers are holding tight Chaeyoung’s locks. She just shuts down, dozing into a tired and deserved nap.

Chaeyoung has to laugh in front of a devasted Mina. There still are pools of tears on her eyes and her hair is a wet and wild dark aura around the perfect face. She looks peaceful, almost smiling. The younger get out of the bed, trotting towards the bathroom because she is not capable of sleeping that way.

She washes up and, naked, turns off the lights and lays next to Mina. She tucks both under the expensive sheets and blankets, now a bit ruined by their activities, and rolls to her side. She looks at Mina for what it seems an eternity. She will never get tired of looking at her. Among all the things that are running inside her head now, the one that is screaming louder than any other else is that she likes Mina. She would not dare to say she loves Mina, but Chaeyoung knows that at the slightest chance, she would fall in love with her. 


	3. morning greetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, there! watch out for [M] content scenes, read at your own risk ;)

Mina opens her eyes when an arm is thrown over her stomach.

The sudden touch startles her, pulling her numb body back to the surface. She is still lost in the haze of heavy eyes full of sleep and her brain takes a minute to start functioning. But soon enough she recalls the events of the night that explain why there’s somebody holding her and why she feels feather-like, floating over her own skin and bones, in total relaxation.

The room is dark, a small source of light is filtered by the curtains, but only her surroundings are barely visible.

By her side, a heavy asleep Chaeyoung is attached at her by arms and legs, throwed over Mina and impending her to move. She can’t help but chuckle as the soft breath that comes out from the younger’s nose hits the base of her neck, where Chaeyoung managed to stablish her head during her sleep.

Mina does not move for a while afraid she might wake up the woman using her as a body-pillow. Instead, she closes her eyes and sink into the easing darkness; this way she can smell Chaeyoung’s fresh soap scent, which feels like deception, since she was waiting for her sweet strawberry one. It is still good, though. Her warmness is good too, especially when it comes with the soft touch of her skin. Mina dares to down her eyes, guessing Chaeyoung is naked against her. The easiness is disturbed a bit when nasty thoughts snick into her mind. It feels like Chaeyoung turned on the worst side of Mina when she appeared on that bar. Yet, she does not feel bad about it.

Taking her time, Mina tries to look at the woman that almost melted her brains earlier, even if the room is dim she can spot the sculpted features of Chaeyoung’s face. By the look of Chaeyoung’s relaxed innocent expression, nobody would guess what that pouty mouth could do. Her black hair is tossed over her eyes, tangling on her thick lashes, her mouth is crushed on Mina’s shoulder making her lips look even more squishy.

“You’re mess even when you sleep” Mina whispers, shifting her body to be laying on her side like slow motion to not disturb the other. Chaeyoung does not seem bothered, even if her head had fallen against the pillow she just adjusts her arm and legs a little further to remain attached to Mina.

The lawyer takes advantage from the slumber state of Chaeyoung and brushes the hair from her eyes, stacking lock over lock behind her ear. She leans to plant a peck on the tip of the cute nose because she knows Chaeyoung will give her a scrunch even sleeping, and so she does.

Mina is not prepared at all to they way her breath is caught.

Or maybe she was. She needs to stop pretending the presence of Chaeyoung didn’t flip her head over. After her attitudes last night, to pretend is only make a fool our of herself, a joke.

The heavy, throbbing feeling comes up from Mina’s chest and gets stuck on her throat, like a desperate need to cry and laugh at the same time. A single moment that seems like time haven’t passed at all, and she is lying on Chaeyoung’s bed, at their dorm, taking care of her wild mess after a night full of alcohol. _It’s nostalgia,_ she thinks, _isn’t it?_ Was nostalgia the blamed for their current state? Did she attacked Chaeyoung and undressed both for the sake of nostalgia? She certainly did not scream Chaeyoung’s name over and over again for simply reminiscence. 

_You’re being stupid again_ , her brain warns. She was stupid for letting things coming to this point – but wouldn’t be worst to avoid it? After hearing all the things Chaeyoung told her, it was not hard to feel shaken. She did not think about anything else but kiss Chaeyoung since the moment the younger started to talk about her feelings when she saw Mina.

Mina does not have what others call ‘sixth sense’ or ‘intuition’, but she _knows_ from her guts she would be forever regretful for denying this night with Son Chaeyoung.

At least, when the morning comes, she could give her a kiss of goodbye and walk away with light heart and soul – or the lightest possible.

_But I don’t want to say goodbye_ , now is her heart speaking.

_This decision does not belong to me only._

Mina looks at the reason of her restlessness again. How such a small person can cause so many doubts on someone’s mind?

The lawyer pouts, wondering what time must be now. She can’t avoid the feeling their time is running out. Nobody knows what can happen at morning and, even if she craves it with all the heaviness of her chest, Mina won’t ask for Chaeyoung stay _again_. She was never one of pushing, she won’t start to be one now.

Lifting her hand, Mina stroke the baby-like skin of Chaeyoung’s cheek, contouring her lips with her thumb. She wonders what is going on inside Chaeyoung’s head now – she looks unbearably peaceful, like someone that is having their first good night of sleep in a long time. Mina spoils herself, happy to think the reason is her. She slides down, going further under the blankets, lowering herself a little so her eyes are on the level of Chaeyoung’s chin. Her hands also go down, outlining the soft curves of Chaeyoung’s body, the descent of her waist to the bend of her ass; soft skin covering developed muscles, she feels everything.

It’s amazing how by only doing that, heat increases on Mina’s body. Even her cheeks are burning now, because the rare lights of the room allow her to spot how the pair of pink nipples is hard now, a mum and inconscient answer of Chaeyoung’s body to Mina’s hands.

This moves her further. Chaeyoung’s eyes tremble a bit when light kisses are pressed on the crook of her neck. Mina’s burning mouth against the burning skin, both exchanging their heats. Mina pecks the skin, sniffling the godly scent the woman holds even if her skin was washed with soap earlier. She was mistaken before, Chaeyoung smells like fresh strawberries. Her hands push Chaeyoung’s hips closer, so Mina can place her knee between those thighs, preparing the way for later.

First, she wants to explore the pale skin exposed for her, especially the valley of Chaeyoung’s chest, highlighted by her side position.

Mina leans back a bit, looking the way her hands go through before reaching their goal. Her fingers roam over waist, ribcage and diaphrag. She does not take her hands away from Chaeyoung’s skin until they are both over the small mounds, pressing the swollen nipples onto her palms. Mina feels like biting her own lip to suppress a sudden moan, everytime she squeezes Chaeyoung’s boobs they look insanely appealing to her mouth. She looks up, catching any slight change in Chaeyoung’s behavior, but the younger is fully asleep.

The lawyer smiles.

She feels like a child doing something really bad and forbidden. It’s one of Chaeyoung’s effects on her, Mina guesses; she tends to do spontaneous things when she is with Chaeyoung, some of the things people would not believe coming from somebody like Mina. Who’d think diligent Myoui Mina would be this avid for someone’s body? Nobody would guess. Not even Chaeyoung guessed the first time they spend the night together – but she never, ever, judged Mina for it. Nevertheless, Chaeyoung always tried to break Mina’s shell, push her over her comfort-zone and show her real self.

Feeling compelled by such delivered state of the younger girl and need to retribute everything Chaeyoung gave to her earlier that night, Mina keep going. Chaeyoung mumbles something when Mina pushes her body to the side, laying the girl on her back. The lawyer stays still until Chaeyoung comes back to sleep silently, now her arms are tossed to the sides of her head and her lips had parted a bit. Mina wants to kiss her and claim those lips already.

However, she does not go up but down. Her hands are busy with Chaeng’s breasts, treating the flesh the way she likes: rough but paced, rolling the hard buds between her fingers every now and then. Her knee parts Chaeyoung’s legs away, so her body can fit on the space between them. Mina barely can see a thing under the blankets, but her mouth helps her to find the way – her tongue travels down from the middle of Chaeyoung’s hard abs, rolling around her bellybutton until she feels the scorching heat of her core coming closer. Mina sucks the thin skin of her belly and spread several soft kisses until she hits the throbbing nub, swollen and avid for contact.

“Mina?!” she hears Chaeyoung yelp with the sudden attack on her clit. Her legs go up, but Mina keep them away with her elbows. Nothing, she thinks, nothing can stop her now.

A faint light clears a bit her vision, and Mina peeks Chaeyoung’s surprised face at the end of the blankets. She can be wrong, but the first rays of sun are starting to invade the room.

“W-what- what are you doing? AH!” Chaeyoung let go of the blankets when Mina gives her a hard suck.

Chaeyoung tastes good, Mina can’t tell if it’s better or the same as before. It’s sweet and sour, just like a wild strawberry, and she sucks all of its juices. The younger is surprising wet and sensible, every move Mina’s tongue makes Chaeyoung responds with a groan and a jump of her hips. At some point, her hands started to cover Mina’s on her boobs, controlling the pace – it was an unintentional move, coming from her dazed mind.

Knowing Chaeyoung’s breasts are in good hands now, Mina uses her fingers to spread the soaked core for her mouth. Chaeyoung is dripping, redden from the tension. Mina licks the warm flash as her fingers circles the inflicted clit, her saliva is now fully mixed with Chaeyoung’s juices as her mouth is being filled with her flavor.

Accompanied by Chaeyoung’s moans, Mina strokes a single digital onto the slick entrance. She feels like Chaeyoung’s pussy is ready to suck her finger inside, clenching and pulsing every time her middle finger comes closer. “Ready to be fucked” Mina whispers more to herself than for Chaeyoung’s listening. The younger seem lost in her own world now, too drifted away.

She goes further, inserting her finger in a painfully slow rhythm. Chaeyoung is unbearably tight, her walls are bending around Mina’s finger in despair. She keeps her finger single, afraid she might hurt her lover. With her lips locked around Chaeyoung clit, Mina starts to withdraw and invest her curved finger. This breaks the thin line of Chaeyoung’s control.

Unleashed, she starts to moan louder and roll her hips down and to the sides. Mina feels her despair by her soaking pussy that stains even the sheets.

“M-mina! I-I can’t-tt-t!” Chaeyoung cries and the hold of her legs around Mina’s head gets stronger.

The lawyer leans back with a loud ‘pop’ and throws the blankets that are covering her until now to the side. The vision in front of her is nerve-wracking. Chaeyoung is spread on the sheets, panting the life out of her, her back is slightly bent as her knees, her head is tossed back, and she is holding her own breasts with firm fingers. Mina looks down to the beautiful indulged core, its slicking folds and wet mess. She is proud.

“Chaeng, look at me” she purrs, but the younger does not obey. Mina strokes her inner thighs in a soothing way, calming Chaeyoung’s shattered nerves. “I want you to see me eating you up. You look so good like that, I just need you to look at me, baby girl” she whispers one more time. The last two words are the ones that drags Chaeyoung’s gaze towards Mina.

The younger loved when Mina hummed for her like that.

She nods one last time, allowing Mina to continue her divine attack.

This time, neither Mina nor Chaeyoung divert their eyes. They stay locked when Mina plumpish lips return to Chaeyoung’s core, licking it from the end until the start, running around the entrance. Chaeyoung is slippering and now the noises Mina makes with her mouth are followed by Chaeyoung whimpers, that developed into moans when Mina slim finger comes back to fuck her.

Now Mina feels confident to add one more finger, although it’s so tight they are pressed to each other as one. She curves and rolls them inside Chaeyoung, and like a turn up button, Chaeyoung cries. Her hips hit a perfect rhythm, shocking her soaked pussy against Mina’s mouth and fingers, both overstimulating her until the aching point.

Chaeyoung breaks after some minutes. Her legs close their strong grip, but Mina does not care. She sucks Chaeyoung through her orgasm, fidgeting the sore core along. Chaeyoung’s eyes are wide and dark pit, until they shutter in a frown expression. Mina was not expecting a second wave, but Chaeyoung is shaking all over again and Mina feels like her body is running away from her hold.

Mina waits until Chaeyoung calms down and climbs up her limb body. She pecks the mouth but before she leans away, Chaeyoung’s hands are on her face, holding her still. They kiss deeply, until Chaeyoung’s mouth is filled with her own taste. She feels Mina’s lips are wet and swollen and knowing this is because of her makes Chaeyoung’s body quiver once again.

“Good morning, baby girl” Mina whispers, leaning her front onto Chaeyoung’s. They are smiling, but Chaeyoung starts to chuckle, her large eyes capturing everything Mina is showing.

“Aren’t you a crazy lady?” Chaeyoung sighs, giving a light slap on Mina’s thigh.

Mina yelps with the burning sensation. “I woke up with my mind full of thoughts” she whispers. Chaeyoung’s skin is glowing with sweat, and Mina slides her finger over the smooth surface, circling her breast with an innocent aura. “I needed to unload them.”

“I am not complaining. Good days often starts like this, I guess.” The younger shifts her body, even if the touch she is receiving does not have any second intentions, she can’t control her body response. “What were you thinking about that you felt the need to waking me up?

Mina smiles, looking at a freckle located on the side of Chaeyoung’s breast. “You.”

Forgetting about how blunt Mina can be sometimes, Chaeyoung blinks. She looks to the woman next to her, still carrying some glistening on her mouth from their intimate moment just before. Mina looks calm but her down cast eyes might be hiding something.

Chaeyoung gulps.

_At the slightest chance, I would fall in love with her_.

It is too late, once the feeling drops like a rolling stone on her stomach.

Her down cast eyes.

Her calmness.

Her soothing voice.

Mina asking her to stay.

Mina, silent and introspective, letting Chaeyoung entering her selective bubble, laughing naked on her bed after a long night.

Mina taking all her things, moving away with a simple goodbye, as they were nothing more than friendly roommates.

And Mina laying next to her now, lifting her body up slowly with a worried expression. “Chaeng, are you crying?” She rushes, sitting on the bed looking scared.

Chaeyoung laughs as the tears escape from her eyes. She felt like an idiot for so long, but never for the right reason. She closes her eyes, feeling Mina caring fingers brushing her tears away.

“I’m sorry” Mina begs.

“Sorry for what?” Chaeyoung laughs again. Afraid of looking like a lunatic, she seats up too. They are face each other closely now.

“I don’t know, you are crying… I suppose it’s my fault.”

“Aish, Mina” Chaeyoung rushes to hug her. She cages Mina inside her arms, smashing their bodies together. At the sudden attack, Mina loses her balance and falls back, bringing a giggling Chaeyoung with her. Chaeyoung pecks her mouth nth times until Mina is smiling, still lost, but smiling. “We should take a shower… like, together.”

“Are you really not telling what that was about?” Mina scolds but takes Chaeyoung’s hand to follow her to the suited bathroom.

“I’ll tell you later.”

-

Clean and fresh, they seat on the living room’s sofa to look through the menu like two kids. Chaeyoung wants to eat everything, and Mina just keep adding the items on the tablet given by the hotel to place their orders.

“God, woman, do you have a fountain of money or something?” Chaeyoung shakes her head in astonishment. “I feel bad making you spend so much money on me.”

“Really? I feel like a sugar mommy.”

Chaeyoung snaps her head towards Mina, who is finishing the order like she didn’t just say something so uncanny for her. “You can’t be a sugar mommy if you are only two years older than me.”

“Don’t you look way younger, though?”

“Aish, enough, you’re not teasing me with this anymore!” Chaeyoung throws herself against the woman next to her, laying her on the couch easily. Mina does not make a single move to avoid the combat, rather she is laughing her weird breathy genuine laugh. “You can’t take me seriously! You are mean!”

Forgetting for a moment of the single piece of cloth – fluffy white robes with a golden embroidery – they are wearing, Chaeyoung starts a hot kiss. They kissed during all the time under the shower, but she is not getting any near tired. Hands roam under the robes, exposing legs and chests with a naturality they are starting to regain.

Chaeyoung is already seating on her heels, getting rid of her robe when a series of desperate knocks knock on the door. They halt.

“Eh?” Mina looks around, her black hair is almost dry now and her bangs are starting to falling on her eyes. “Is it the food already? God, they are good.”

Chaeyoung gets up and let Mina retie the knot that holds the robe close with burning cheeks. Her situation is a bit embarrassing, but she will have to ignore her already wet core if she wants to have a breakfast with Mina. However, Mina is already at the door by the time Chaeyoung calms down again.

“Mina! Thank God! Oh my God, I was _worried sick!_ ”

Chaeyoung watches when a pair of arms pull Mina to an embrace outside the room, but Mina’s feet stay stuck on the floor, not moving one inch; her arms are limb on her side. Chaeyoung can’t see the face of the man, but there is no need to be a genius to know this is Mina’s ex.

The younger seats on the couch with her back straight, her ears peaking everything, including the cold voice of Mina. “ _What are you doing here? Who let you up?”_

“I talked with the manager, Mina! You didn’t come home last night, I thought- I thought you would try something bad… I could not sleep, I- l” his voice is wrecked.

Mina does not show any kind of expression except a mocking smile and cold eyes. “You thought I would do something _bad_ because of _you_? You are even dumber than I thought!”

“Mina…?” when the man leans on trying to hold Mina’s hands, Chaeyoung sees his desperate and hurt face. He takes one, then two steps inside, still looking for Mina’s hands, but she is faster than he.

“Get out, get out!” She shushes him with waving hands. Chaeyoung would laugh at the distressed Mina with her flying bangs and pouty mouth if that man wasn’t so inconvenient. She is on her feet less than one second, her hands closed in fists.

“We need to talk, Mina, I know you-” he stops speaking and walking when Chaeyoung stops behind Mina, putting a protective hand on her shoulder. For a whole minute Mina has forgot about Chaeyoung; she was trying too hard to not to punch the man in front of her to focused on somewhere else. The gentle touch on her shoulder sooths her and her stiffen back relax against the small body protecting her. “W-who are?”

“I am Son Chaeyoung. No, no need introductions.” She spats quickly when he mentions to talk again. “You should really leave; we are about to enjoy a nice breakfast _for two_. Please, don’t make a scene or I’ll call the security. Or even the police, since you spend a whole night disturbing at someone’s door and now is invading a private room.”

Mina shifts on her feet, down casting her eyes so he cannot see her laughing. Chaeyoung sounded so lawyer-like that her heart fluttered. The hand on her shoulder intensifies its grip, giving her a short squeeze.

“Who is this woman? Mina? Did you… you slept with a woman?” he is so taken aback that does not hear a word of what Chaeyoung just said.

“Just leave me already, will you? And don’t you dare knocking on my door _ever_ again or I will destroy your pathetic life.”

Bothered, Mina pushes his chest with her moderate strength. As he does not show any resistance, she repeats the gesture until he is out of the room. She slams the door with a heavy sign, but soon she is chuckling.

Her cheeks are burning red, giving Mina the appearance of a hyped kid having a sugar crush. “Oh wow, I never saw you talking like that!” she makes her way to Chaeyoung, squeezing her sulking cheeks between her fingers. “Are you mad?”

“Aren’t you?! He came all the way over here to see you, he spent the night at your door, this guy… I swear…”

“You swear what?” Mina sooths, her fingers are now stroking the sulking mark on Chaeyoung’s forehead. “Are you jealous?”

The younger shots her brows up. Their eyes are aligned, connected by a meaningful stare. Mina can read the exactly answer on those large black eyes, even if Chaeyoung denies it with her mouth. Which she does not. She just leans forward and leans her head on Mina’s shoulder, snuggling the exposed skin of her neck. “If I see him again, I’ll end him” she mumbles sounding spoiled.

Mina smiles, her heart is all butterflies’ wings. “I am glad he did this, now I can fill some lawsuit against this place. I think even this breakfast will be free.”

“Aish, I am here talking about punches and violence and you come with your paperwork talk.”


	4. white wine and vitamins

The street is busy with people and cars, a typical morning in the downtown, Chaeyoung guesses. Only when she puts her foot on the sidewalk that she remembers what day it is and how real life looks like. Until now, she was locked inside her own little piece of heaven, built over a great night and morning. She looks the people passing by with hurry, safe on her spot next to the hotel’s door.

Chaeyoung does not dare to check her phone, where a dozen of missing calls from work are displayed on the screen. _How could she forget work?_ Her mind is certainly in somewhere else, maybe behind those hotel’s front doors, specifically on the manager’s office, where Mina must be arguing with the manager, having the time of her life. Chaeyoung almost laughed at the scared expression that took over the staff members’ faces when an imperative Mina demanded the presence of the manager on the reception. Her elegant posture, blank cold expression, high heels and high fashion clothes were enough to set them on despair, running from side to side.

Now, Chaeyoung glances from time to time over her shoulder, still not knowing what to do. Should she call a cab? Should she wait for Mina and _then_ calling a cab?

Leaving the room was a bit less awkward than the what she thought it would be, but not by Chaeyoung’s merit. Mina was the one talkative, listing all complains she would bring to the manager. Chaeyoung, otherwise, was mum. Her mouth was becoming dryer as the elevator made its way down, and some sudden tiredness took over her body, her lack of sleep and _intense_ lately activities were slowly appearing as the rush was slowing down.

Although the breakfast was really fun and delicious, as expected, the eminent goodbye kept hovering her head like a dark cloud soaked with rain. Chaeyoung did not think Mina would leave with a simple goodbye like she did a long time ago; but what she should expect since her, Chaeyoung, did not say anything, exactly like a long time ago? Among all these thoughts, Chaeyoung lost her chance to say anything and when she noticed, they had parted ways and she was waiting for Mina outside.

Her phone starts buzzing again, and Chaeyoung feels the knot on her belly. Thankfully it is only Dahyun. She had barely answered when the voice blasted on the speaker. “ _Thank GOD you’re alive!”_

“Wha–”

_“Idiot! Yeri said you did not go to work today, and you don’t answer her calls! Where are you?”_

“I –”

_“Are you okay? Jeongyeon is turning sick because of you, pabo!”_

“Y –”

“ _Please, tell me you’re not in some hospital! Are you hurt? I knew we shouldn’t have let you go back. Where did you say you were? I am going to pick you!”_

“There–”

“ _Say something, Chaeyoung! Oh my GOD! Unless… You are not Chaeyoung! Oh my God, who has her phone? Who are you?!”_

“I AM ME! CHAEYOUNG! LET ME SPEAK!” Chaeyoung hisses with her mouth against the speaker.

“ _Hey, don’t be rude! Easy there… At least you sound the same. Where are you?_ ”

Chaeyoung does not want to say anything _now_ , they will need at least one entire afternoon to talk about everything that happened. However, that small, awaken pride pokes through her decision and she sees herself smiling like a dumb. “I am at the hotel.”

“ _What are you doing in a hotel?”_ Dahyun asked confused, but she only needs a short break to speak again. “ _Wait, the_ last night’s _hotel? Why? What happened?”_

The hysterical tone of Dahyun’s voice came back and Chaeyoung forces herself to take a deep breath to keep her patience. “Yes, Dahyun. When you let me speak I’ll tell you.”

_“Okay, don’t say anything! I am going to pick you up_ right now _and you are going to tell me everything. On my way!”_

“Dubu, aren’t you at work?” Chaeyoung frowned. Dahyun worked as a piano teacher at some high-class school.

“Funny story, _I might be or might be not with a hell of hangover today, so I called sick_ ” she is laughing lightly now and Chaeyoung can only roll her eyes. They bid goodbye and hang up.

If Chaeyoung would come with any idea of spending extra time with Mina, it was out by the window now. Nevertheless, she could use some clean clothes and… free time alone thinking about Mina, she guesses. But knowing Dahyun, she would leave her apartment by night or worst. Chaeyoung tries to cheer up herself and push away the feeling that she is missing an opportunity to stay extra time next to Mina. For sure the lawyer has business to attend too… _Right?_

So many doubts are brushed away as soon Mina claps her high heels against the marble floor exiting the hotel. She gives Chaeyoung a calm smile that makes her eyes growing crescents when she gets closer. Chaeyoung notices how Mina’s dark hair floats around her face in perfect short waves and her bare face is glowing under the daylight. She sighs, unable to keep counting how many times Mina defeated her with only her simply beautiful visual.

“All settled. _And_ they promised me a hard copy from the surveillance cameras in case I want to use it in my defense” Mina cheers bumping her close fists on the air. “Is there something wrong? Is there something on my face?”

Chaeyoung hushes to shake her head, realizing she was staring at her with no expressions at all. “No, no, your face is fine. Really fine” She wishes not to be blushing right now, because her cheeks are on fire.

If Mina thought something was wrong, she didn’t show it. She smiles away Chaeyoung awkwardness and looks around, getting the same impact as Chaeyoung at the sight of the busy street and the advanced morning. “Seems like I took a day off” she mumbles, searching for her phone inside her purse, but only find out it’s dead. “Uh, do you have some place to go now? We can share a cab…”

The younger looks at those chocolate eyes as if they hold all the answers of the world. She sees Mina’s expectations hidden there, among her anxieties and surrender. She gulps down the guilt, because yes, she wants to share a cab with Mina as much as she wants to do anything with the woman. She wants Mina to take her home and do whatever she wants to.

But her mouth is faster. “Actually, Dahyun is coming to pick me” the words are heavy and roll along her tongue living a bitter path. Her face melts just like Mina’s now.

“Oh” Mina tries to recover her lost smile, like someone who just got slapped on the face tries to pretend it isn’t hurting. “Oh, ok! I think I have some work to do, anyways, there is a whole afternoon ahead, right?”

“Right, right.”

The silence is uncomfortable until Dahyun arrives. She parks the car and rolls down the window just to show her shocked expression. Nothing comes out of her agape mouth and before it does, Chaeyoung rushes.

“I’ll call you” she is not asking. Mina nods, embracing the younger’s waist when she throws herself into her arms. Chaeyoung takes a long breath, inhaling until the last moment the sweet scent of Mina; she is feeling her heart pounding hard on her chest only because Mina is holding just as tight, even though they are in a public place. When they grow apart, Mina’s cheeks are all chubby because of her gummy smile. “I think this was one of my favorite nights… ever, Mina. I don’t know if I should say thank you… but, yeah. Huh, wait for my call!”

Mina let go of Chaeyoung with reluctant arms. She keeps watching Chaeyoung walking away, still being attracted by the way her soft hips move, until Chaeyoung is inside the car.

-

Mina does not go to work after. Instead, she goes straight home. She has a lot to think about after this completely crazy night.

_One of my favorite nights… ever._

She hangs herself onto these words, making them hers.

Her apartment is always quiet and somewhat lonely, but for some reason it seems even more at the time she enters. Everything is white, grey or pale pink – her couch, the carpets, the small objects, everything always looks where it should be.

She leaves her shoes at the door, coat and purse over the couch and goes to the bedroom.

Desperately for her comfy clothes and clean underwear after a good shower, Mina takes off her dress while heading to the bathroom. When she looks at the mirror, the view startles her for a brief second. Several reddish and purplish marks are spread over her collarbones, chest, her ribcage and – she chokes when spotting these ones – on the lower of her back, almost on her ass. Love bites, possessive sucks, her skin marked by Son Chaeyoung. She touches the marks with her fingertips, some of them hurt a bit, but she does not care; she only thanks herself for wearing the coat when she left the hotel.

Mina takes her sweet time under the water, running her hands over the inflicted skin with a silly smirk on her lips. Never, and she means _never_ , she let anybody do these kinds of things with her, never she felt the need of this rough and mind-blowing kind of sex. For Mina, sex became only a way to relieve her stress. But this is just one of her laws that does not apply for Chaeyoung.

Mina left the shower feeling a new person. She covers the marks with a large t-shirt and her soft sweatpants, keeping them as a secret only Chaeyoung and her would know about.

It’s been a long time since she had a break – or took one deliberately, with no warnings like today – and Mina does not know what to do with her free time. She remembers to connect her phone on the charger, since she was promised a call, and then proceeds to decide what she would have for lunch.

Once her phone is back to life again, she gives Sana a call, ignoring all the messages and lost calls from everybody else. Sana is the only one Mina considers a true friend among her colleagues; she knows Mina’s past, Mina knows hers. They talk for some minutes, giving time to Mina explain (with lies) her absence from work so the woman would not ask too much. Sana promises to drop by her apartment later and bring the documents left for Mina and some wine.

She is totally unproductive for the rest of the day, using her time to pretend watching dramas while in fact she is daydreaming.

Now she has a lot of content to think about, and not forced thoughts about the future of her love life, like it is some sort of obligation. She feels happy – _too happy –_ while passing the images from the night through her head. Still bothers her Chaeyoung had left so soon and barely leaving explanation, but her last words and request of waiting for her call left Mina with a soft spot on the heart. Like a teenager, she rolls on her couch with her belly full of anxiety, but others would call it butterflies.

Mina sees herself waiting for Sana to arrive. She needs to talk with someone, to expose her feelings under a different perspective so she can hear if this is crazy or not.

When the night starts to fall, there is no call from Chaeyoung, but there is Sana ringing the doorbell.

She is caring a pile of heavy files, but there is a bottle of wine securely gripped by her hand and, of course, her signature and never-fading smile. When she met Sana, Mina thought the woman was a bit crazy. She was too caring and a bit expansive, but nothing on the Earth could resist her cute smile and sweet voice. Now she feels like Sana is her bigger sister, someone she relies on.

“Minatang!” Sana sings as she enters the apartment and transfers the files from her arms to Mina’s, blowing nth kisses on the air.

Mina just lands the pile on the coffee table and turns to look Sana, already in the open concept kitchen opening the bottle of wine.

“I must say that place was crashing down without you, your secretary was having a collapse – I swear I saw her crying in the restroom” Sana is speaking while opening the cabinets and serving the wine. That is the way she is, and Mina just sits on the stool next to the kitchen counter to watch the woman moving like it is her own house.

“Don’t tell me you hug her and told everything was going to be alright” Mina scoffs and accepts the glass of white wine. Sana looks at her with a hurt expression.

“You know that’s not how to be nice to people works, Mina. But, yes, I did.”

“Sana, one day someone will read your signals wrong, you know that, right? And stop importunate the girl.”

“Hey, this is not about me or Tzuyu and her cutest face and the fact she _hugged me back_ today, okay?” the blonde woman waves her hand as talking. Mina has to laugh; since she hired Chou Tzuyu, her secretary, Sana has been over her heels for the girl. Although it’s tragic, Mina thinks it’s funny how Tzuyu stays unbothered by Sana’s moves on her. “Just tell me already.”

“Tell you what?”

“Minatang!” Sana whines. “I could be at home right now, but no, I came here just to know why my dearest friend and amazing lawyer missed work today even though the sun was bright, and the Earth is still moving!”

“Really? So, you didn’t come to bring me my files?” Mina smirks, but she already knows this is a lost battle. Sana would bother Mina until her last drop of endurance. “Okay, okay. I am not sick.”

“I never saw you skipping a workday… you work on weekends, for the love of God! But I knew you were not sick…” her nails are taping the surface of counter and she was twirling the glass of wine with another hand, a mysterious expression hovering her delicate features. “I noticed that _your friend_ did not show up today. I wonder if this is a coincidence.”

Sana hates him. And she’s been saying this since his first day on the office. It was a hard puzzle to understand just how a woman like Mina would fall for a guy like him, a notorious player. However, Sana was not an expert in love and relationships herself, she could only stay close and care for Mina as a friend she was, especially when Mina did not bring the subject to the table. She kept their “relationship” as private as could.

Sana feels her heart getting tight, imagining all the possibilities for Mina’s absence at work. However, for Sana’s surprise instead of downcast her eyes and change the subject, calling Sana ‘silly’ or whatever; Mina holds her stare and nods.

“It’s not a coincidence, we went out last night. He wanted talk about something serious…”

“Oh, Mina…” Sana groans with a dramatic faint. “Don’t tell me you two are dating or something.”

“Well, I thought we would by now. But… Ugh, it is so embarrassing to tell you this. I should have listened to you because you were so right about him. Sana, he has a fiancée. They are getting married next month or so.”

Silence takes over Sana. It does feel good to be right but that means Mina was being fooled all this time – just as she predicted. Sana puts her glass down on the counter and walks until her friend, stopping next to Mina to give her a tight hug. Mina only blinks, patting Sana’s head as if she was the one that needed to be comforted. “You must be crushed… I am so sorry, Mina.”

Mina’s face feels hot instantly. She _is not_ crushed; she does not even care about him – how much of a bad person is she? Is she just as cold as everybody thinks? Six months treating him like an actual boyfriend and now she does not feel bad about their ‘break up’? _I am not cold_ , she tells herself. Maybe if Chaeyoung did not have showed up, she would be feeling down, but now Mina cannot even see the downside of her dump.

“I am fine, Sana… really.” They broke the hug so Sana could get more wine. “But there is more.”

Then, like a landslide, Mina tells Sana everything. How Chaeyoung just appeared after her smooth moves; who was Chaeyoung; how they ended up sleeping together and how she lost the track of the time that morning. By the time she ends speaking, her mouth is dry, and Sana had drunk more than half bottle of wine by herself. Mina thinks Sana didn’t even blink as her narrative unrolled.

The blonde does not say anything.

As seconds pass, Mina starts to feel unsettled, until her friend explodes in a wave of laughs and girlie giggles.

“Yah! Why are you laughing?” Mina pouts. She was not expecting some darker reaction from the blonde, but the theatrical series of laughs were a bit hurtful. By the time she calms down, Sana has tears escaping from the corner of her eyes.

“I knew it… Oh, I just knew it…” Sana is panting after so many laughs. “Sorry, sorry, it’s just… it was so obvious I wish I had said something to you earlier.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, Minatang!” And there was Sana holding her again. “You belong to girls. I saw you trying so hard with that guy that it made me sick. I am so sorry that it had to be this way but _thank god_ this Chaeyoung girl came back to your life!”

“Eh?! Sana!” Mina touches her own cheeks afraid they would catch on fire for being so hot. But Sana looks more serious now, like the protective friend that is always looking over Mina. She gulps down. “I– I don’t if this is going to work… So don’t put all your expectations on this, okay?”

Although she is speaking with Sana, Mina feels like those words were for herself rather for her friend.

“Why are you saying this? Mina, I don’t think this girl would spend the night and morning with you if she is not interested in you.”

“Well, I’ve been on this place before, we used to do this all the time and she never showed any kinds of feelings besides the… uh… sexual tension between us. I don’t know why would it be different now.”

“Because you are full grown ups now? Because you are not a scared college girl anymore? I don’t know, Mina, so many things can be different.”

“It’s too soon to say anything” Mina shakes her head and pushes her hair back, starting to get nervous.

“Have you guys talked about this?”

“No.”

“So, you are just supposing?”

“Yes.”

“You suck at this.”

“Sana!”

“Come on! You’re too negative. You should talk with her first, and then you get your conclusions. If this girl made you skipped work… you need to pay attention on her.”

_I do_ , Mina internally screams. Her eyes travel to the phone unpretentiously laying on the coffee table. She wonders if Chaeyoung is home and safe, if she ate and if she is thinking about her – but if that was the case, she would give Mina a call just like she said she would, right? Maybe she is busy with Dahyun. Or another person. Mina does not know how Chaeyoung’s love life is right now, so how is she cogitating to enter it?

Her nerves start to get the best out of her.

Her sigh is heavy. It’s one of those rare occasions that Mina’s shoulders fall down, losing her posture she leans her head until her forehead is against the cold kitchen island surface.

“Come on, Minatag… Cheer up. You are an amazing woman, but if you slept on this one I might steal her from you” Sana pats Mina’s head and raise her glass.

-

Like a vitamin, Sana drags Mina up again – with not only her wine, but also asking as many questions as she could. Mina gave her a detailed (but censored) idea of her night and morning with Chaeyoung. Sana would squeak and make unforgettable remarks about it, and, at the end, Mina was laughing at her silliness.

Around 9PM Sana left, sure that everything was fine.

Mina was alone again, thinking about everything she and Sana had discussed. Decided to talk with Chaeyoung, she opens her purse to find Chaeyoung’s business cards. The little notes make Mina smile again, remembering their silly but enjoyable first contact after so many years.

She seats on the floor, ready to dial the number, but her fingers don’t move. If it’s pride or shame, she does not know, but it makes her lay down the phone an not call Chaeyoung.

This time, Mina will let Chaeyoung take control of their direction. If the younger calls, she will be happy, if she does not call… well, Sana will have to bring more wine.

The only thing capable of keeping Mina’s thoughts away from Chaeyoung now is work. She starts to explore the pile of documents Sana brought; most of them closed cases needing some signatures and final reviews.

Time passes as Mina attacks the documents, sat on the floor with the remaining glass of wine. She is so focused that it takes several rings for her to notice the phone.

“Yes?” Her voice is empty and harsh, her professional side now completely on.

“ _Minari?”_

The phone almost slips from her hand when she shots her head up. It’s like Chaeyoung was there, on her living room, and not only through the speaker; her voice is clear and cute, maybe a bit scared by Mina’s tough answer to the call. She feels like an idiot.

“Chaeng, hi” Mina manages to say through her tight throat.

“ _Am I too late?”_ Chaeyoung asks. Mina blinks towards the impact of that simple question and her mouth opens with no words to say. “ _I mean, is it too late to be calling you? Sorry, I think I’m nervous.”_

They giggle as teenagers. Mina feels her chest a hundred times lighter now, and leans her body against the couch, looking up at her ceiling. “You are not late. I was catching up with work.”

“ _Really? Well, the world does not deserve someone like you, Myoui. I am just going to show on work tomorrow like nothing happened_.”

“You have your charms, I’m sure you will get away with that” she tells no lies. Nobody could resist Chaeyoung’s large puppy eyes and her pout – they are an indestructible combo. The younger makes a funny sound at the other side of the line, surely embarrassed. For a brief second, Mina forgets about her goal of letting Chaeyoung pull her this time and, in this brief second, her heart takes a step forward. “I was waiting for you to call, Chaeng.”

The silence is broke by a shaky sigh followed by a nervous laugh. More than anything, Mina wishes this conversation was not through the phone so she could watch all Chaeyoung’s antics and expressions.

“ _And I was waiting to call you”_ she is giggling. “ _Aish, you make me feel like a teenager again and I don’t know if I hate it or love it.”_

The lawyer follows the trail of giggles, feeling the exact same way. “Why waiting?”

“ _Uhh, I don’t want you to think I am desperate.”_

“But are you?”

“ _See, that’s why I hate to talk with lawyers!”_

Mina softs her expression that frowned at Chaeyoung’s sincerity; she laughs, trying to get the mood lighter.

She changes the subject, knowing better that a distracted Chaeyoung is better than a paranoid one. They start talking about their respective days, which ended up being identical. Mina notices Chaeyoung’s friends are the same from college and they sounded the same girls she met back then – funny but reliable. Chaeyoung tells about how they took her out eat pizza so she could tell them about her disappearance – she promised Mina nothing personal was revealed, which Mina could not say the same since she had Sana as a friend. Then is Mina’s turn to let Chaeyoung knows who Sana is and it seemed enough to the younger starts planning a reunion between them all.

When the kitchen clock marks 12AM, Mina let out a discrete yawn, enough to set Chaeyoung on her concerned mode. “ _We should go sleep if we don’t want to miss work tomorrow.”_

It is sad to say aloud that Chaeyoung is right, but she does.

However, before they get to their goodbyes, Chaeyoung interrupts. “ _You know, when we were talking about the girls, I remembered how we used to go to that fried chicken place every Friday night. Do you remember it?”_

Images of Mina quietly judging Chaeyoung and her friends being loud at the restaurant invades her mind and she laughs. “Yes – I remember how you guys embarrassed me so much I stopped going there!”

_“Well, you were a mood killer back then!”_ Chaeyoung accuses with actual hurt on her voice. “ _But we could go back there, maybe tomorrow, just… me and you. What do you think?”_

Mina gulps.

“Like a date?”

“ _Like a date.”_


	5. traditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this last part i was thinking about Chaeyoung's amazing art on Mina's sneakers that says 'love is doing small things with great love', which i think describes them pretty well.

Chaeyoung could see her reflection on the marbled floor. This only made her more nervous and self-conscious.

The building has an expensive and wealthy look, which Chaeyoung is starting to associate with Mina’s actual life. Mina, who works on the 11th floor of this palace made of steel and glass, secured by flap barriers behind the large front desk, but at the same time agreed to eat fried chicken at the university district with her. She has to suppress a smile, knowing that nobody would expect Mina doing things like that.

However, her smile melts quickly as Chaeyoung felt her stomach turning upside down each step she takes inside the buidling – all those cold expressions and the extravagance of Mina's work place is pressing her even more than ask Mina on a date itself.

Sure, Chaeyoung is not far behind from those fancy corporative workers, but she felt like her high-waist suit pants and blazer – her best pieces, chosen only for special occasions – were nothing compared with the men and women walking around the giant lobby.

Repeatedly, she brushes her hair with her fingers, trying to get some volume that would make her look a bit sexy and mature. She walks until the front desk occupied by three receptionists. They have that robotic aura while their smiles don’t reach their eyes, but Chaeyoung tries not to judge that much. She gives her name and her purpose, and the woman gives a call, talking with ‘Miss Myoui’s secretary’. _Of course Mina has a secretary,_ she mentally rolls her eyes at her own ingenuity. Chaeyoung gets that small sense of pride when she received her fresh laminated visitor card with her name after some minutes of waiting. The receptionist gives her the instructions to pass through the flipper barriers and which elevator she should be taking.

When she slides her card, the glass doors open, and she access the elevator area. There is nobody there, so Chaeyoung can start to feel a bit calmer than before. For some reason, she did not like the atmosphere of that place and its impersonal appearance. Everyone carried a snob expression on their faces besides the coldness of their eyes and empty smiles. Chaeyoung wonders how Mina feels working with those people – it has been a long time since she shared a routine with Mina, but Chaeyoung is sure the woman still holds her warm and sensible soul. _It must be hard for her_ ; she thinks while the elevator goes up. If all Mina’s work colleagues were like her ex, then she must have a hard time on this job.

Chaeyoung bites her lower lip when she arrives at the 11th floor.

Everything is wood, glass and steel. The receptionist of this floor is an old lady who is talking with a blonde woman, both laughing at something.

Shyly, Chaeyoung coughs to get some attention.

“Hello, dear. How can I help you?” The old lady startles, seeming ashamed for her relapsed behavior.

Chaeyoung smiles her shyness away, showing her visitor card. “I’m here to see Myoui Mina. I’m Son Chaeyoung.”

“Oh, of course. Let me contact her.”

While the receptionist dials Mina, Chaeyoung feels her cheeks getting hotter. There is a heavy pair of eyes over her, coming for the delicate face of the blonde woman next to the reception. It is impossible to ignore the little smirk on her thin lips. Chaeyoung’s brain starts to work on an explanation from that stare – she is dressed nicely and even had make up on, she can’t be looking _that_ bad.

Before Chaeyoung goes crazy, the woman takes a step towards her and her face is all kind and receptive. “Hi. I am sorry, but I could not help hearing your name. I’m Sana” bluntly, the woman reaches her hand to Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung instantly feels mum. There is no chance that are two Sanas working with Mina, so she could only presume this is the same Sana Mina talked about last night on the phone. And Sana knows that she knows, because now her smirk intensifies. “H-hi, Sana?” she shakes the hand awkwardly.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Kim, I will show Chaeyoung the way. Shall we?” Sana dismiss the receptionist work, looping her arm around Chaeyoung’s stiff one and drags the woman down the corridor.

Chaeyoung only follows, trying to take confident steps next to Sana, who is a living walking model. At least she looks a nice person and it seems like Mina is in good hands.

One hundred questions start to flood Chaeyoung’s mind, like how much Sana truly knows about her and what Sana is probably thinking they are going to do now. But, instead of asking, Chaeyoung only look around, admiring the place. The office is amazing, an intricate maze of glass rooms and small particular offices, from Ambiental to Criminal lawyers.

“Huh, so, Miss Sana?” Chaeyoung finally speaks, feeling her head a bit dizzy from her current situation. “Does Mina work with you?”

Sana giggles, patting her hand over Chaeyoung’s with a warm look. “Please, just call me Sana… I’ll call you Chaeng, we are practically friends.”

“I don’t think this is how friendships work, but… okay” Chaeyoung frowns at the strange woman.

Sana has a high-pitched laugh that ends up bringing Chaeyoung to laugh to. “Oh, Chaeng, I know much more about you that you’ll never imagine. Here you go” Sana sudden stops, showing a wooden door with Mina’s name on it. Chaeyoung feels like burning, still processing Sana’s piece of information. She only prays Sana is someone reliable now. “You know, she is the youngest to conquer a particular office in here…” she knocks softly and, even without an answer, she enters.

Chaeyoung takes a small step, following her ‘new friend’ inside Mina’s office. Her heart is bombing fast, sending blood to her hot ears like they are going to catch on fire. She sighs heavy but it’s in vain – inside the large room there is only a woman, more like a girl, standing all straight next to the door. She is so tall Chaeyoung has to look up to see her face, which is far from friendly.

“Miss Minatozaki” she bows lightly like a little robot, but her expression stays unbothered.

“Relax, Tzuyu. It’s only me, you don’t need to bow” Sana spats, sounding like this is the nth time she says the same thing to the girl. “Chaeng is here to see Mina.”

“Ms. Myoui got a call from Mr. Park, I suggest Ms. Son wait outside until she comes back” Tzuyu’s large eyes travel from Sana to Chaeyoung and back and forth again.

“No, no, no. You and I are going to get a coffee and Chaeng can wait right here. You don’t mind, right, dear?” while talking, Sana is already taking Tzuyu’s hand and dragging the girl outside.

“But–”

“No buts, only coffee!”

They are out before Chaeyoung can show a reaction.

Maybe the place is not so dead inside, since Sana looks like a bombshell full of hearts and hugs and unappropriated statements.

Chaeyoung looks her surroundings, obviously feeling out of place. She walks around the room that does not show any kind of personality except small details of Mina’s presence. The major hint that Mina truly is the one occupying the place it’s a portrait with a picture of her parents and their family dog.

Chaeyoung takes the object with a warm smile on her plumpish lips, admiring the perfect mixture that Mina is from her parents. She got to meet them once, on the second year of college, when they went to drop Mina at their dorm. Chaeyoung still remembers how cool Mina’s father and the sweetness of her mother’s voice were. Her heart races up again, because she can’t ignore the aching wish of being welcomed by them.

 _Don’t think too much about this, you are ahead of yourself!,_ scolding herself is Chaeyoung’s new routine now.

Laying down the portrait, she proceeds to read the innumerous queued frames full of certificates on the shelf behind Mina’s desk. Chaeyoung reads one by one, collecting several questions she has for Mina. It looks like her old roommate never stopped her studies and, again, Chaeyoung is smiling, feeling her old Mina so alive in those little details.

A half hour passes until Chaeyoung hears the door clicking and Mina enters like a hurricane.

“Tzuyu, call HR and schedule a meeting by Mond– Chaeng!” her voice goes from a low and imperative tone to a squeal in one second.

Even though Chaeyoung’s purpose was to take Mina on a date, and even though she would have to see Mina so that could happen, her heart goes in full speed when her eyes lay on the woman. Chaeyoung feels so small next to the powerful lawyer that her hands start to sweat and she wonders how could she be so confident the other night, how did she manage seeing and touching Mina so intimately and not having a stroke, because now she is about to get one.

Mina is wearing a black suit, something Chaeyoung didn’t know she needed to see, but now she can’t erase it from her mind. Her short hair is down, framing her beautiful face. She is smiling her gummy smile while closing the door with her back, not diverting her eyes from Chaeyoung.

“You’re already here,” Mina says almost breathless, and Chaeyoung dares to think the woman is just as happy as she is right now.

The younger brushes her palms on her own thighs, making sure they are dry before she even touches Mina. “Yeah, I hope this is okay? Y-your friend, Sana, she just left me here.”

Mina’s mouth opens in a little ‘o’ and she looks around, certainly searching for her secretary. “I see she took Tzuyu with her too” she shakes her head. “Those two… Was she too scary? Sometimes she scares people.”

“Oh no, she is fine, just a bit clingy, maybe?”

“I’m talking about Tzuyu.”

“Ah” Chaeyoung giggles at Mina’s truly worried expression. “I don’t know, Sana didn’t give us much time to bond, so…”

“Thank God. I can’t imagine you getting out alive from a Sana and Tzuyu combo” Mina chuckles shyly, bringing her eyes to stare at Chaeyoung. “So…” This time she walks towards Chaeyoung and the younger cannot do nothing but watching. Mina stops so close they are sharing the same oxygen now, her warm breath is brushing Chaeyoung’s face, driving her into a contemplative state, almost closing her eyes. “Hi.”

However, Chaeyoung keeps her eyes wide open, focusing on Mina’s bright ones. There are so much gold and brown mixed on her eyes that Chaeyoung get lost looking into it, until they are in crescent shapes because Mina starts smiling again.

“Hi” the younger whispers back, not noticing she is leaning forward.

Inevitable. That is how both feel when their lips brush against each other, so soft that it tickles.

Chaeyoung’s stomach tightens. She wants to immerse herself in Mina’s mouth and drown her fingers into her silky hair, bring her close, eat her. But she does not. They grow apart as if it’s the hardest thing to do, but it needs to be done before anything happens.

Mina is the first one to speak again, brushing her bangs like she always does to calm down her nerves. “I am all done here. I’ll just take my things and we can go.”

Chaeyoung only nods. Mina is quick and soon they are leaving the room, no Sana or Tzuyu to be seeing. “So, Sana and Tzuyu, they are a thing, right?” she asks like a teenager gossiping. Both are walking side to side, hands brushing and shoulders glued together.

Mina lows her head slightly so her mouth could be closer to Chaeyoung’s ear. “I wish I have the answers. Sana has been trying hard, but I don’t know what happens when both go to the restroom.”

They giggle together, and Chaeyoung cannot hold herself back when she gives a little squeeze on Mina’s hand. The lawyer bites her lower lip and looks away after pinching Chaeyoung’s little finger, making this a little code only they could read. Both are smiling like fools when they turn a corner. Mina is walking in front now, leading Chaeyoung out of the maze.

When they are passing by the last reunion room, one with giant glass walls, a familiar face catches Chaeyoung’s attention on the other side of the see-through wall.

Mina’s ex is sitting at the table with two more men. He looks lost in his own thoughts, but Chaeyoung must have been staring too much because suddenly he lifts his eyes, feeling the look on him. The stare only lasts a few seconds, but it is enough for Chaeyoung to soak the rage on his face and to know he knows whom she is. She wonders how his lip got a big fat cut on it and why does it look like his left eye is starting to get purplish. Something tells her it is all connected to Mina, but the lawyer is a few steps ahead already, and Chaeyoung must speed up to catch her.

When she does, Chaeyoung interlocks her arm with Mina’s and lay her head on her shoulder, not caring if anyone is going to see and think it is weird. Even Mina gives her a weird look, but Chaeyoung only turns her face to look at her favorite eyes again. She feels this weird wave of protectionism washing her; she wants to shield Mina from everything, like her thin and delicate skin is going to break if Chaeyoung does not look after it. But, right now, the most important thing is to make Mina feels comfortable and herself again – she already did this in the past, when the chances were way too much against her, she could do it now again.

She puts her delicate chin on Mina’s shoulder, and, with her best childish voice, Chaeyoung whimpers: “I’m hungry.”

-

“Wow! It is exactly the same!” Chaeyoung coos soon as they get out of the cab.

Mostly college students pack the street, but all kinds of people can be seen walking up and down, hands full of street food, coming from the several small restaurants and tents with traditional foods.

“You make it seem like we are two old people” Mina chuckles, adjusting her blazer on the right places. “Ugh, I feel like we are overdressed… We are going to eat fried chicken in suits.”

Chaeyoung bursts into laughs, holding her own belly in a cute way. “I didn’t think this through” she is still laughing when they enter the small establishment.

The ride was nice. They kept talking about Sana and Tzuyu and their weird but perfect fitting until the university district came into view. Things were the same as the day they left, so Chaeyoung did not need to use her GPS to find the right place.

Their fashion choices earn some looks, but they could not care less as they take a seat on a table for two next to the fogged window. The air is filled with the characteristic smell of fried food and Chaeyoung believes they are the older ones inside that place. There are a few tables occupied only by small groups of students, just like them some years ago.

Mina is practically bouncing on her seat, tapping her fingers on the table when the waitress came with the menus. She does not need to look at the paper to know what she wants, though. “I want your traditional, with tangerines please.”

Chaeyoung crooks a brow at her. “Someone studied the menu beforehand…”

“I could never forget these beauties” Mina leans against the chair as Chaeyoung ask the exactly same thing as her. The waitress leaves them alone and the older sighs with the flush of memories passing through her mind now. “I can’t believe you guys made me stop coming here after that food war.”

Chaeyoung has her elbows propped on the table, her chin resting on her hands as if she was there only to admire Mina. “I don’t recall that” she teases, knowing pretty well that she was the one that started the fuss with Jeongyeon.

“Aish!” Mina has her eyes opened in shock. “Don’t tease me! You throw me a fist of noodles; I spent the whole night trying to take that off of my hair.”

“Weren’t you cute, though?” The younger winks and Mina pretends to hit her on the face, making Chaeyoung laugh aloud, her black hair covering her now blushing face.

“You didn’t age a bit,” Mina mumbles trying to sound serious, but her mouth is fighting against a smile. She does not hear an answer from Chaeyoung and, when she looks up, the younger is staring at her with loving round eyes. Mina gulps. She is not sure why, but their old memories taste a bit bitter on her tongue now that she is facing this more mature Chaeyoung.

They could have lived a happily relationship at that time, but Mina is not sure they would have survived after all these years. She feels her chest filled with emotions from the past, but there are many things new now. Now she can stay in silence, only looking at Chaeyoung for hours; she does not have the need of consuming the girl all the time, that desperation that almost threw her out of the tracks years ago. It is not as if she does not want Chaeyoung – she does, her body starts to functioning all wrong when she is near her old roommate and Mina cannot deny it – but now… there is more than simply physical dependence. Chaeyoung seems caring and kind as ever, but her eyes show even harder feelings when she does nice things, like showing up at Mina’s office ealier.

Now they are facing each other as if the whole world outside is just a blur. Both are feeling their tight throats swallowing down the need of sharing a kiss and they know that only by reading each other’s eyes.

The waitress arrived with a quiet attitude, as if she knew something was going on there.

Mina spats back to reality, opening a shy smile to the girl serving them, probably a college student. Their portions are placed in front of them and so as the bottles of soju. They thank the girl and Chaeyoung proceeds to pouring them the drinks.

“The smells is killing me” the younger whines before taking her chopsticks and snap a piece of the tender chicken. The tangerines make the chicken stick and chunky. Chaeyoung starts a little dance while savoring the melting food, smiling at Mina’s complete ecstatic image.

They eat fast and in silence, combining the different vegetables that came as side dish with the fried chicken. At some point, Mina gives up of her utensils and takes a chicken thigh with her bare hand.

“I can destroy your career with a picture of you like that, you know?” Chaeyoung observes with her cup of soju on hand. “Fancy lawyer eats chicken like a savage college student.”

Mina only shrugs. “I don’t know if I will have a career after today.”

Her voice is calm as ever and she seems to be more interested on her food than at her words. But not Chaeyoung. The younger faces her with a troubled look, remembering the man she saw earlier at Mina’s office. “Why are you saying this?”

“I–I don’t want to ruin the mood with my problems” Mina shakes her head.

“ _Minari”_ Chaeyoung calls. She reaches her hand across the table, receiving Mina’s fingers on hers. She squeeze them, reinforcing her previous question. “I want to know.”

The older sighs heavily. Mina felt like it was not fair everything that happened during her day coinciding with her date night with Chaeyoung. However, she forgot everything when she saw the short woman waiting for her in her office, and she remained like that until now.

However, if Mina wants things to evolve with Chaeyoung, she has to share this kind of information, even if the taste of it is bad. “Well. Today I was assigned to a new case as an assistant, which I don’t mind if it helps me improve my own work. But, the problem is who I was supposed to assist to. _You know, right?_ ” she gave a significant look at Chaeyoung that only nodded with her lips tighten. “He specifically requested for me as his assistant. The major problem is – I am better than he is, I handled many more cases than he did so… I declined. My boss, Mr. Park, didn’t like my refuse since he is an asshole too.” Mina starts to brush her hair back unconsciously, because it’s the only way to deliver her annoyance right now. “We have a big argument, the three of us, and they started to tell me how irresponsible and immature I was being so… I lost my temper.”

Chaeyoung feels her lower lip tremble. She is so angry that her hands are now forming fists and her knuckles are white. She knew something was wrong, and if Mina had told her this before, Chaeyoung would have managed to leave him with more than just a bruised lip and eye. But she breaths calmly, because this is not about her rage rampant. This is about Mina and how two idiots must had cornered her until she could not take it anymore.

“Mina… I am sorry…” Chaeyoung mumbles softly and searches for Mina’s hand over the table. The older gives it to her gladly and even opens a weak smile.

“That’s okay… I will resigned soon as possible. That place makes me sick anyways, I think it’s better this way…” she shakes her head to chase away her tears.

Chaeyoung cannot stop thinking how unfair it is, even though Mina saying it is all right. “We should fight. You should sue him too, all of them.”

This time Mina laughs, her eyes are sparkling with leashed tears but they look so pretty. “Chaeng, I punch my colleague in his face three times. I doubt I would win this.”

“Three times?” Chaeyoung’s face turns into a shocked expression, her brows frowning until there were wrinkles on her forehead. “You are so wild.”

“I’m full of surprises.”

“You are” Chaeyoung nods enthusiastically, ignoring the ironic remark of Mina. “You are great, Minari. I am sure they will need you more than you will need them. To be honest, I really thought you are somewhat too good for that place. Maybe you should take Sana and her girl with you as well.”

By the time Chaeyoung finishes her mumbling, Mina is truly laughing. Her head feels light and so does her chest, even though she will be unemployed soon she cannot see the downside of it. Now she can focus on something she really wnats to do, maybe something by her own and not on a stricted sickening place. Mina wonders if this is a Chaeyoung chain effect still.

“Thank you, Chaeng…”

The meal is too large to be beaten, so they take the leftovers when they left.

The weather is nice outside and the street is busy since it’s Friday’s night. Chaeyoung sees a great opportunity to not saying goodbye yet when she spots a tanghulu* tent across the street.

“Mina, look! It’s tanghulu!” she catches Mina’s hand before the older realizes and runs across the street with her bag full of leftovers dangling dangerously on her arm.

Mina can only roll her eyes, smiling at Chaeyoung childish manners. The woman seems to be a constant variation of mature Chaeyoung and old Chaeyoung. Of course the younger would be hyped up about candied strawberries.

“Four please!” Chaeyoung raises her fingers to the man in charge of the tent and waits impatiently.

“ _Four?_ ”

“Mina, don’t make me feel ashamed… I’ll give _one_ to you.”

They eat the candy while walking down the street, making quick stops to look on some specific tent occasionally. At the very end of the street, they spot some buildings of the university campus.

“It’s been four years since I left this place and it still gives me nightmares,” Chaeyoung says when they stop at the last corner before the campus’ limits.

“Don’t be so dramatic, you never studied” Mina slaps the younger’s arm playfully, earning a funny face from her.

“Well, that’s why I have nightmares” she sighs overdramatically. A couple passes by them at that moment, their hands intertwined as they talk closely to each other. Chaeyoung watches the scene with deep envy and glances at Mina, who is looking away to the other side of the street. If Chaeyoung conquered something this night, it was courage. Mina talked with her naturally, and they were not weird around each other how she feared before this date. So the younger takes a deep breath and a step closer to Mina. “Mina?”

“Huh?” the older turns around to look at Chaeyoung a bit startled.

“We don’t have to say goodbye, do we?” She whispers and even with the street’s fuss, Mina could hear her perfectly.

“I guess not” she feels like not breathing at all. The fear and mistrust Mina was once feeling vanishes like a river running wild. The knot in her chest unleashes and she feels her breath shaking in front of the silence promise of something more. When Chaeyoung smiles at her with her limpid eyes, Mina feels like it’s over for her.

-

They take a cab back to Chaeyoung’s place. It is a nice but not too big studio in downtown, perfect for a young woman living alone. Her large windows with a nice view of Seul is what catches Mina’s attention first; second is Chaeyoung’s old Nintendo console, the same one she had in college.

“Please, tell me this is still working” Mina squeals. It is weird that a woman with her career and status gets so excited over video games, but she cannot help it.

Chaeyoung contains her smile, shaking her head like an ashamed mother. “I can’t believe this gamer monster is alive…”

The younger leaves Mina alone with her games and goes get change into comfortable clothes. When she comes back, Mina is too engaged on the game to notice her presence. She smiles at the woman sitting on her floor wearing an expensive suit and high heels and looking so ingenuous at the same time, groaning every time she makes some mistake.

Chaeyoung goes to her small kitchen, putting their leftovers on the fridge and starting to boil some water. She needs a tea to calm down a little. Mina’s agreement on coming back to her house after their date put her mind on a wild race, thinking about what could happen. She almost pour too much water on the teacups while her mind is all over the place.

“Are you really mad over Mario?” Chaeyoung asks, sitting next to Mina on the floor. The older is swearing under her breath about _stupid turtles_.

After a few seconds and a tragic Mario’s death, Mina sighs heavily. Chaeyoung is waiting for her ultimate rage – she watched Mina played video games too many times for being counted, and her pacific exterior always is crushed down when she loses – but this time Mina is giggling. “Sorry,” she shyly says, taking her warm cup of tea. “It’s being a long time since I played.”

The younger waves her hand on the air, incapable of making Mina feel bad about it. “You are welcome to come and play how many times you want to.”

“I will,” she whispers almost inaudible, stretching her legs with a tired sigh. Mina looks at Chaeyoung with her boy shorts and oversized hoodie, her eyes shooting away as faster as they can. She cannot drool over Chaeyoung’s perfect legs right now. “You have a nice place, Chaeng.”

The studio is big enough to have well separated rooms. Most of the walls are black, but there are several drawings covering their surface. Mina knows at the first look at them that these are Chaeyoung’s art – some of them are just abstract doodles with no much of a meaning, but they are colorful and intricate, representing pretty well their artist’s mind. Mina can see realistic traces on other ones – cute animals, cartoons characters and…

“Wait! Is that…?” Mina gets up quickly. Chaeyoung looks at her with a confused expression until she notices Mina is staring at a particular drawing over the TV. 

Chaeyoung is not the kind of amateur artist that gets shy over her works. She holds a Minor in Fine Arts, she knows how to represent her feelings through her traces, but this is a different occasion.

Mina is looking at a water painting of herself. It has been there for so long that Chaeyoung has completely forgot about it. It is simple, only her face and neck, but it is definitely her – if Mina didn’t recognize her one of kind warm eyes, she would have spot her notorious freckle on her nose’s bridge.

“Chaeng…” she is whispering and Chaeyoung sulks, hiding her face behind her hands. She is afraid of Mina’s reaction; again, she is looking like a creep that hides Mina’s face on her house. “Is this me?”

She does not want to look at Mina, so she just nods. A few moments of silence pass, until Chaeyoung feels the soft hands of her old roommate wrapping around her wrists. Mina is taking her hands away from her face, and when Chaeyoung looks at the delicate face of the woman, she notices her glassy eyes, covered with crystal tears.

“Why are you hiding?” She mumbles. Mina is crouching, her eyes on the same level as Chaeyoung’s, her body between her stretched legs. When Chaeyoung thought they could not be closer than this, Mina leans on a bit, placing her hands on her shoulders to get balance. Her thumbs are brushing Chaeyoung’s chin, obligating the younger to look at her. “When did you painted this?”

Chaeyoung is not sure.

She drew Mina many times – in her own defense, Mina has a very pleasant look and her classic face structure makes every draw beautiful. She is not sure why she kept this specific painting, since she threw so many out, but there is something - on its purplish and indigo colors – that reminds Chaeyoung of her old Mina.

“I don’t know… When you graduated, maybe” Chaeyoung cast down her eyes, timid.

Mina nods as if she already knew this and leans in for a hug. It takes Chaeyoung aback to feel Mina’s arms around her neck and her face hiding right under her chin, but she does not refuse it. Chaeyoung hugs Mina back, exhaling the oxygen stuck in her chest. They stay like this, no one daring to move and breaking the warm and longing embrace. Mina breath brushes against Chaeyoung’s neck, and the younger squeeze her waist tightly even if the position is not that comfortable.

“I love it.” Mina states, finally lifting her head up. She presses her lips against Chaeyoung’s cheek in a light brush. “Can I keep it?”

“Sure, it is yours” Chaeyoung manages to give out a shy smile. This is the second time in a short period that Mina accepts her weird choices of attitude. Her heart is pulsing hard. “I had a lot of this… kind of drawing, but then I decided to leave it behind, in college. After some time I just stopped, I guess my mind erased what kind of trace I used to drawing you.”

It is time to Mina being taken aback, she does not know if Chaeyoung had thought through her words, but she guesses the younger did not. Those words are hanging on the air with their heavy meanings. She moves her body to Chaeyoung’s side, sitting next to the younger now. “You should have told me.”

“What?” Chaeyoung looks at her with shot up brows.

“That you cared about me so much. I had… no idea at the time.”

Chaeyoung nods slowly, absorbing that. She knows how guilty she is, but there is nothing she could do to change their past now. “I only realized that when you left. You were always right, I _was_ a child, that did not take anything serious, not even you.” Those words hurt to be heard, but Chaeyoung hurts to say them aloud too. They are looking at each other with so much intensity she does not feel like blink once. “I didn’t know it was love until my room was full of your face.”

Mina does not move. She needs more time to think about this, but maybe not even all the time of the world would be enough. She needs things now. She is desperate.

Changing her position, Mina turns her body to her side to look at Chaeyoung properly. “Was it love, though?” Her question holds all of her apprehensions.

“Yes” Chaeyoung does not falter.

“Is it still love?” Mina needs to know.

“Yes.”

Saying the world stopped would be underreacting. Mina feels not only her world, but also her whole heart and systems stopping. Her hands are cold but her cheeks are burning, looking like each nerve of her body is pulling into different directions. With shaking breath, she approaches Chaeyoung. There are so many things running by the younger’s black eyes, but she melts against Mina’s hand on her cheek.

The kiss is full of reservations, like this is the first time they ever touched each other’s lips. Mina does not dare to break the barrier, and only presses her mouth against Chaeyoung’s. She feels something wetting her cheeks, and when they pull away, Mina notices both are spilling some tears.

She chuckles, wiping Chaeyoung’s cheeks with care. Mina does not know if those are happy or sad tears, because Chaeyoung’s face is an enigma. “Why are you crying?”

Chaeyoung’s lower lip tremble a bit. “You didn’t say you love me back!”

Mina can only laugh, throwing her head back in delight. She does love Son Chaeyoung.

-

“Don’t you think this is too soon, though?” Mina whispers into the darkness.

They are laying face to face on Chaeyoung’s bed, safely tucked under the blankets to protect their naked bodies from the cool night. Mina urges to contour the perfect traces of Chaeyoung’s face under the moon light. Her cute nose, notorious mouth and sparkling eyes look too perfect to be true. They are tangled by arms and legs, bodies fully pressed against each other that even their noses are touching now.

“It’s been only a couple of days,” Mina continues, kissing Chaeyoung’s beauty mark under her mouth.

“It’s been years!” Chaeyoung whines, pulling Mina’s even closer and squeezing her ribcages to make her laugh. Mina hides her head on Chaeyoung's neck, laughing aloud. “I am not good at begging, but I will if you start with this ‘too soon’ conversation.”

“Okay, okay. Sorry, cub” Mina rushes to deliver a series of pecks on Chaeyoung’s pouting lips.

“Cub? Mina… I’m sorry, but I am more of a tigress now.”

“Well, that is not up to you to decide.”

Chaeyoung squeezes Mina once again in revenge, throwing them into a war of kisses and giggles and more tickles. They only stop when both are out of breath and, at least on Chaeyoung’s side, a bit aroused too. “I don’t know how you do these things to me. I think you broke me.”

“Ugh, dramatic ass” Mina groans, rolling her body over Chaeyoung. She sits on her belly, the blankets sliding down her body to reveal her holly nakedness. Chaeyoung gulps, her hands automatically fitting onto Mina’s thin waist depression. She does not know how many times will take for her being calm next to Mina’s naked figure. They were in the middle of a messy session of tender but mindblowing sex just half hour ago, and although her body is feeling tired, it starts to awake all over again for Mina. “You know what I want?”

Throbbing inside, Chaeyoung shakes her head, but a million dirty alternatives ran her mind now. “Tell me, love.”

Mina smiles at her girl’s soft answer. “I want that fried chicken that’s in the fridge.”

Chaeyoung feels hurt. She pulls Mina down, capturing her giggling lips into a hard and imposing kiss, biting her lower lip once they apart. “Yah, you’re always mean to me.”

Mina is still giggling, now her body is laying over Chaeyoung’s, making the girl her coziest bed. “Am I?” This time, Mina takes Chaeyoung’s mouth slowly, her hands dragging a path over the younger’s body while their tongues grind against each other. She can tell Chaeyoung is turned on by her dazed look and harden nipples against her own. There is no oxygen left when they stop. “I just want to remember the old times, when I used to steal your leftovers during the night.”

Chaeyoung laughs cutely, her half lid eyes full of unconditional love. “You know those weren’t my leftovers.”

“No?”

“I always bought three extra pieces for you.”

Mina stays quiet for a while. She wonders how many small things Chaeyoung did behind her back only because she did not know how to deal with her own feelings. She looks at the woman under her, so opening and receiving now, and feels nothing but pride for who she becomes and love for who she is.

“I love you, Son Chaeyoung.”

“I love you too, _Minari_.”

_just wanted to explain that *tanghulu is a candy, basically candied fruit. hehehe_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope everything is clear and understandable, there are some hooks left for the sequel short (or not so short) fic that is coming.

**Author's Note:**

> For those who wonder, old fashioned is a drink based on whisky and bitter, hehehe.  
> Check my aff as una_99 if you want quicker updates! Don't forget to send lots of love and good energy to Mina during this period <3


End file.
